Beyond Friendship
by DoubleBoxEven
Summary: A powerful storm hits, but that won't stop Konata from trying to have some fun. Konami
1. Bored!

This is my very first fanfic, so please tell me if there's anything I can do to make it better in the future.

I do NOT own Lucky Star or anything affiliated with Lucky Star, I don't even own one of those awesome Figma dolls of Konata or Kagami, even though I want one really bad.

Chapter 1 Bored!

Rain poured down again, and once again Kagami Hiragi found herself listening to the drops patter against the roof of her home, droning on, and making her sleepy even as she tried to study. She had already finished her homework for the break, but she decided slacking off too much would be setting herself up for a future failure. Even so, as she glanced at her digital clock she saw that she had studied for two hours straight without a break, and decided since it was a holiday after all, there was no need to push herself to misery.

She got up from her desk, and made sure to properly put away all of her study materials lest she forget to pack them for school before the holiday's end, and after straightening her desk left to check up on her little sister. She knew Tsukasa should be studying as well, or at least doing her homework, but she also knew that Tsukasa probably wasn't doing what she should be doing. Closing her door behind her, Kagami walked down the hall, and lightly tapped on Tsukasa's door a few times, and when she didn't receive a response she decided to open the door, and see what her sister was doing.

She was greeted by an all-too-familiar scene when the door was moved. Little Tsukasa was lying on the floor amidst scattered bits of homework fast asleep. Kagami sighed inwardly, she knew her little sister tried, but she just couldn't focus on studying for very long.

Kagami let herself into her sister's room, and decided to go ahead, and at least get her homework put up properly. Kagami wasn't much for cleaning, and household chores, but she wouldn't take a risk that her little sister's future could be negatively impacted just because she accidentally tore a sheet of homework in her sleep. After putting away Tsukasa's homework Kagami lowered herself down to her little sister, and gently began to shake her saying kindly, "Tsukasa, Tsukasa, wake up. You at least need to get in your bed."

Tsukasa groaned lightly, and whimpered as she turned away from her sister seeking refuge in her dreams from a force trying to bring reality to her eyes. Kagami sighed outwardly this time, and decided to at least get Tsukasa her pillow, and the blanket off of her bed. She raised little Tsukasa's head onto a small, fluffy, cotton pillow, and then covered her. She found herself smiling at her little sister when Tsukasa snuggled into her pillow deeply with a tiny smile. After that Kagami decided to tuck the blanket around her sister's body just to make sure she didn't end up sticking her feet out, and catching a cold.

Once done making sure her baby sister was comfortable she took a moment to look around Tsukasa's room. As far as carpet, and color scheme went, her room wasn't much different from Tsukasa's, just their decorations. Tsukasa had little stuffed animals peeking out from cute places on her bookshelves, held up by some mangas. Kagami's own bookshelf held many different light novels on a few different subjects. She wasn't a hardcore fantasy addict like a certain one of her friends, but she did sometimes enjoy reading about a romance between two people.

She stopped her thoughts from wandering once she got to that. She knew if she started getting lost in thought all the time she may end up like Tsukasa, and never find her way out again. This threat seemed particularly real for her since her, and Tsukasa were twins, even as fraternal twins from different eggs, they still shared enough of the same genes that Kagami thought she could easily become absent minded, and oblivious if she didn't monitor her thoughts and actions.

With her business in Tsukasa's room finished she left quietly, turning out Tsukasa's light, and closing her the distraction of caring for her little sister no longer present, Kagami felt her stomach grumbling, and decided to go get a little snack. Halfway to the kitchen she found herself debating whether or not she needed a snack since she was trying to lose weight. She was still deciding on this when she reached the refrigerator, and all thoughts of not eating vanished when she spotted the cookies Tsukasa had baked for them the night before to go after dinner. There were still some left, and Kagami decided that she would have two of them.

Unfortunately after the two, she decided just one more wouldn't hurt, and then one more, and before she knew it she had eaten five of the cookies. Kagami wanted more, but she disgustedly walked away grumbling about the unfairness of sweets. How could they be so good, and so bad at the same time? Even with debate though, there was no changing facts, and she decided against going back for any more of the cookies.

Kagami decided to look out the front door, and see how the storm looked in her neighborhood, but as she approached the front door, the phone in the entrance of her home rung, and she picked it up halfway through the first ring, answering, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end sounded exuberant as usual, spouting,"Wow, that was fast, you must have been waiting on me to call all day, huh?"

Kagami hadn't talked to her little blue haired friend for even ten seconds, and she could already feel a vein in her head pulsing. She said into the receiver,"Hey Kona-"

Without even waiting for Kagami to finish her sentence her energetic friend said, "I'm soooo BOOOOORED. There's nothing to do because of the rain, and nobody is even online right now, so I called to ask what you're doing Kagami-sama."

Kagami had an urge to just put the receiver down, and act like nobody had ever called, but since she didn't have anything else important to do she decided to talk to Konata. Of course, as usual the first thing she said to Konata was, "Well, if you have nothing else to do, you could always try homework."

To which Konata exclaimed, "NO WAY! Don't be so quick to make crazy suggestions, we should try to reason our way out of boredom first."

"Well, didn't you say you just got a new one of those sims you're always playing, why can't you do that?"

"I already got all of the endings, it wasn't as hard as I thought, and besides, after managing to keep you as a friend, the average tsundere poses about as much challenge as Miyuki in a head-to-head snowboarding simulator."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Kagami feeling that vein stick out a little more.

Konata replied, "OOOOO...you sound so scary, are you trying to frighten me away Kagamiiin?", she stretched out the last syllable in Kagamin.

Kagami could tell Konata was in a teasing mood because she only called her by her nickname when she was teasing, or she wanted something, and since she wasn't making any effort at sweet-talking, Kagami could deduce she wanted to tease. Kagami told Konata, "Look, Konata if you just called me to get your teasing fix, then just forget about having a conversation, I'm not really interested. Besides, I really should be studying right now."

Konata seemed to get that Kagami wasn't in the mood because she backed off a little, saying, "Well, why don't we go do something? I'm sure you've already studied enough for three holidays, let's go have some fun girl."

Konata often acted on whims like this with no thought about environmental factors, which is why Kagami asked, "Have you looked out your window? It's storming, what could we possibly do? You should pay more attention when you're trying to make plans with someone."

Konata sighed, and explained, as if to a child, which really irked Kagami,"Kagami when you plan everything out, you miss out on so many random encounter percentages. Honestly, how do you expect to find any of the sidequests?"

Kagami said lightly, in a fake bored voice she was sure Konata couldn't tell was fake, "That's it, I'm hanging up now."

"WAIT!" Konata yelled into the receiver,"You CAN'T just leave me like this!"

"Well," said Kagami, "Are you going to stop referencing life to video games?"

To which Konata responded, "Yes Kagamin.", then she whispered, "At least for a few minutes."

The Indigo haired girl found herself sighing once again, for which she got a tease about being in love from Konata, but even though her friend could be aggravating at times, Kagami felt the conversation was a nice distraction from studying, and rain. The two found themselves talking about upcoming holidays, and Kagami declining to let Konata copy her homework, and their friends, and a few places in town they wanted to visit, and Kagami declining to let Konata copy her homework, all the way to good foods, and wondering why they're shaped certain ways, and even Kagami declining to let Konata copy her homework.

They talked long enough for the rain to slack off, and even though it was still sprinkling a little outside the sun shone in the sky. Kagami looked at the rays of sunshine through the window on her front door, and saw as a giant rainbow arched from somewhere in the middle of the sky to somewhere in the distance. Just as she was about to comment on it, Konata said, "Wow...it's so beautiful..."

Kagami was more than a little surprised, Konata didn't seem the type to get choked up about a sight like that, and she found herself asking, "You think so?"

Konata responded, "Yeah...I finally...finally raised a golden gr*nty."

There was a pause in the conversation during which Kagami facepalmed. She thought to herself, "I should have figured it was something like , Konata probably couldn't even see the rainbow as they were only visible from certain angles."

"Hey, what's up with the sudden awkward silence?", said Konata, interrupting Kagami's thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry, I kind of spaced out."answered Kagami.

Konata answered proudly, and excitedly,"Oh yeah! That's my Kagamin, I bet if you tried, you could be as big an airhead as Tsukasa."

Kagami felt her vein pulse out one more time which resulted in a sudden returning of the receiver to it's place on the phone base. She immediately realized she shouldn't have done that since now Konata would have confirmation that she had discovered another one of Kagami's secret fears, and would probably terrorize her with it later. It was already bad enough that Konata knew Kagami tended to get lonely easily, and it made her blush when Konata called her, "My Kagamin," or anything like that. She'd have to find a way to break her little friend of that habit, but thus far, she had managed to find only a few of Konata's little fears.

She knew she could always get on Konata's nerves by leaning on top of her, and emphasizing her shortness, even if Konata had tried to hide her dislike of that lately, Kagami knew her well enough to know it was still working. She was afraid of overly teasing Konata though, she didn't want to push the smaller girl away or anything, just teach her a lesson about all the teasing. Kagami would never hurt any of her friends if she could help it.

Sighing that the conversation hadn't ended as pleasantly as it was for most of it's duration, she was still glad she had talked to her friend for a while. She began to walk back towards her room, when there was a vibration from her pocket. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her cell phone which let her know she had just gotten a text message from Konata. She smirked as she pictured her short friend scrambling all over trying to find her cell phone to text Kagami because she knew she wouldn't get an answer if she called right back.

The message said, "No fair Kagamin! You didn't even say goodbye! Oh well, it was nice talking to you for a bit, hopefully we'll get a chance to meet up later. Tell Tsukasa I said, "Hi.," and make sure to tuck her in if she falls asleep on the floor again, we don't need her catching a cold."

Kagami couldn't help but smile at the confirmation that Kona actually cared about her friends, and could be sweet when she wanted to be. She was about to return her cell phone to her pocket when it vibrated once more. The new message said, "We don't need her getting sick, and ruining our fun when we go out somewhere! Anyways, see ya later Kagamin, Love ya girl! 3"

Kagami once again removed her palm from her face, although since she had become friends with Kona-chan she felt like she might as well leave it there to save her the effort of raising it to her forehead the next time she spoke to Konata. Even so, the last line made her feel a little happy. She knew Konata didn't get overly emotional, and that little, "Love ya girl! 3," was the equivalent of Tsukasa hugging her. Even if Kagami was the only one, she could tell that her Konata cared.

She went back to her room before before texting Konata back, sending, "Yeah, she's already asleep, and yes, she is on the floor just to save you another text. Sorry for hanging up on you so suddenly, but you shouldn't tease people like that. Learn some tact, and it'll go a long way. Anyways, I think I'll go read, talk to you later Konata, bye."

Kagami sighed once more, and fell back onto her bed feeling the softness of her mattress and pillows. She smiled, and thought fondly, "That girl's going to be the death of me, or maybe I'll be the death of her if she doesn't stop teasing me. Either way one thing's for sure, you never have an ordinary day with her around."

Her phone buzzed again, and she checked it to see a message from Kona, but she didn't read it. She was sure it was some obligatory statement saying goodbye or something anyways, it could wait until later. She knew she should be studying, or at least reading like she told Konata she was going to, but now that she was in bed, and feeling the warmth of the sun coming through her window after the storm had slacked off, she couldn't find the strength to leave her bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Konata waited patiently for a reply to her text message for about five minutes before deciding that Kagami was ignoring her. That girl could be so hard headed sometimes. She didn't understand how a girl with that kind of intellect couldn't get caught up in all the interesting subjects she could learn about if she just put forth a little effort.

Unknown to Konata, Kagami often thought the exact same thing in reverse. Konata wasn't the type to read very far into people's feelings though. It wasn't that she didn't care, she cared more about her friends than anything else, it was just that she never really understood feelings very well. A lot of the time she didn't even know what she was feeling if it was a feeling she didn't feel very often.

Her inability to decipher many different feelings is what lead her to not have a large amount of friends, and be, for the most part socially awkward, except during her internet time, when she was playing her game character. While she was a character in her MMO she always felt in control, she always knew what she wanted, and could easily make friends because she was never worried about emotions getting in the way of adventuring or even just random trolling for fun.

She never really wondered about her lack of friends. She knew she was different as soon as she started Junior high, and all the other kids grew up, and she didn't. During the period where she lacked almost any friends during Junior high, her father's like of games, and manga started to rub off even more on her since she spent more time around him, and then she just got in deep like her dad did. So much so that he was able to bribe her into getting into a high grade high school where she finally made real friends.

She had Tsukasa, Kagami's little twin sister although Tsukasa was much sweeter than her older sister, and a great cook. Tsukasa had introduced Konata to Kagami, as well as Miyuki. Miyuki was their Class Rep, and the most intelligent person Konata had ever met, although she tended to space out, and be incredibly clumsy.

Then there was Kagami. Kagami was different from the other two since hers and Konata's personalities clashed, and often resulted in arguments, but at the same time Kagami was also closer to Konata than the other two because they were familiar enough to tease each other, and still be friends. They understood that the teasing was friendly, and whenever one took it too far an apology had always been able to mend things.

It was because of the making up process that Konata learned that Kagami had a sweet side as well. Kagami was Tsundere to the core. It was way hard for her to admit she cared about something out loud, but Konata, and Tsukasa both knew that once Kagami decided to care about someone she would do everything she could to make sure they were happy. She genuinely cared about Konata even when they were arguing, and she hardly ever pushed as hard as Konata did because she was afraid of losing a friend.

That caring is partially what sparked arguments between Kona and Kagami since Konata felt that Kagami should be more open with her feelings she often teased in order to get Kagami to admit her feelings in anger. Konata thought Kagami could be a really happy person if she would be a little more honest with herself, and care a little less about her appearance. Konata already knew Kagami was prettier than Konata would ever be, so she didn't see why Kagami should fuss over something like that.

After thinking for a bit about why Kagami and her were friends Konata also remembered another person she considered a friend. Ms. Kuroi was another important person to Konata. When Konata had first started high school, she hadn't had a single friend, and was always lonely. Ms. Kuroi had been able to get Konata to open up to her though, and they began to find that they had much in common. Ms. Kuroi was actually the reason Konata had decided to give an airhead like Tsukasa a chance at being her friend. Once she learned how much fun it was to talk with your real friends online and play games Konata was willing to work harder to keep the friends that took interest in her like Tsukasa, and because of that Konata now had many people who were close to her.

Suddenly Kona realized this train of thought was making her way serious. If she kept down that path she might be like Kagami, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be as likeable as Kagami even if she had the exact same personality, so she decided to watch some T*ig*n, and see if she could get a little seriousness out by laughing at the main character's antics. It worked, and she got caught up in the story all over again with Mi**y and her child-like nature, and W*lfw**d as his personality conflicted just perfectly with the main characters to ensure they had a unique friendship.

It wasn't long at all before she felt herself growing sleepy as the rain started back up though. She wondered if Kagami would read her last text message, and respond. She also wondered for a very brief moment if she should do her homework just to see the look on Kagami's face if she showed up. As well as proving that Konata could do it herself. She decided against it though, as that would give her one less reason to go see her friend.

Her pillow seemed to be sucking her in as she fought sleep, enjoying her half-conscious train of thought. She wondered why Kagami always wore pigtails, what if Tsukasa had long hair and Kagami short. She smiled as she pictured Miyuki's large bust on her own little body, and that was the though she conked out on. Her little sleep giggles were confirmation that her amusing thoughts didn't end with sleep.


	2. Mimic for the Win!

Author's Note: Thanks Mr. Kins, I should have mentioned it wasn't a oneshot in the summary, sorry about that. Also, I'll be more careful on my spelling. This is the shorter second chapter, although it was originally part of the first chapter, I decided to split it, so I could see some reviews, and make improvements. Don't hold back on me guys because my hope is to make this story the best it can be before I've finished.

Chapter 2 Mimic For The Win!

Kagami awoke an hour later in her bed. The rain was coming down harder than ever. She had been happy when it looked like the rain was going to clear up, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon as the cloud cover had intensified enough for the street lights to come on outside even though it wasn't even close to nighttime yet.

Kagami felt really refreshed by her nap, and once again considered going back to studying, but as she sat down at her desk, and began to prepare her materials she heard Konata's voice playing through her mind saying, "You've already studied enough for three holidays."

After the voice replayed itself a few times seeming to wait for her to begin moving forward with her study setup before playing again she gave up, thinking, "Dammit Konata! How can you annoy me when you're not even here? Oh well, she's right, I think I'll break for the rest of the day."

Since she knew she wasn't going to study for the rest of the day she needed to find something to do. Taking a walk for a little exercise was out of the question considering the torrent raging outside her window. She looked around, and thought maybe she could find something to read when she happened to remember a manga that Konata had really really wanted her to read, to such an extent that Konata lent her the loaner copy she had at her home.

It seemed to be an older manga, and Kagami closed it with a furious blush as the first page contained a picture of a nude woman. "What kind of thing is she lending me?" thought Kagami anxiously, but then she remembered Konata saying it was an action packed space epic. After a little thought she figured that any space epic was bound to have naked alien women at some point. Maybe the manga creators had just gotten it out of the way, and sure enough as she turned the page past the woman she was greeted by a colorful scene of people apparently taking their maiden voyage in a ship with people already attacking them. Reading on she came to a flashback in which the quirky characters are introduced by way of a fight in which the main character ends up looking dumb, and running away with his apparent little brother in a hilarious manner.

It really wasn't long at all before Kagami became wrapped up in it just as Konata said she would. Kagami really hated it when Konata was right about her, especially since she felt like she hardly knew anything about the way Konata's mind worked. Upon closer review of Konata's character though, she doubted anyone would ever figure Konata out. She was about as weird as they come without being completely unpleasant, or just annoying.

On the thought of Konata's annoyance she decided she would check her phone, and see what that last message Konata had left for her was. She felt a little guilty for not having read it earlier once she saw the message's contents.

The message read, "Hey Kagamin, I know it's storming outside, and everything, but Dad's gone away on a business trip for a few days, and Yutaka is spending the whole break with her big sister, so I was wondering if you, and Tsukasa wanted to come over, and play games or something. It's getting pretty boring being the only one around , who knows, on a dark, stormy night with three schoolgirls alone in the house maybe something amazing will happen. At the very least we could scare Tsukasa, but don't worry about it if it's too much trouble, I know I wouldn't want to get soaked out there today."

If Kagami didn't know better she would say that Konata was getting scared being by herself during the storm. She mentally made a note of that in case she could make use of it later. Anything to use as leverage against future teasing may come in handy. She thought about it for a while, and eventually felt guilty enough to think, "She's probably just trying to come across as lonely so I'll go over there. After all she _was_ asking about copying my homework earlier. On the other hand, if she really is scared, it'd be pretty wrong of me not to come over, besides even if she is just fooling me, it isn't like we don't always have fun over there so I don't see the harm in going. I don't want to make the trip through the rain twice though, so if we do go over then we're staying the night, that shouldn't be a problem since Konata's the only one there. ARGH I don't know what to think, this is probably exactly what _she_ wants me to be thinking, but oh well, my mind's made up, I just need to ask Tsukasa, and Mom."

With her frustrating train of thought finally sorted out she got up off her bed, stretched a couple times, and went to check if Tsukasa was still asleep, but as she opened her door, she saw her mom standing in the doorway to Tsukasa's bedroom, saying, "It's up a little high, I think you just need to rest sweetie, honestly what have I told you about falling asleep on the floor anyways?"

She heard her little sister giggle slightly with embarrassment at her mom's fussing, and replied, "Sorry Mom, I'll be more careful from now on."

Kagami walked over to the doorway, and asked, "Hey what's going on?"

Kagami's mother looked down at the elder Hiragi twin, and stated, "Your little sister decided she'd fall asleep on the floor again, so when I woke her up I checked her temperature, and she's running a little hot, so I'm making her stay in bed so she doesn't catch a cold."

Kagami would be lying if she said she wasn't a little disappointed at this turn of events, even though she had only decided a minute before, she had been looking forward to going over to Konata's house. With Tsukasa running a fever though, she felt like she should stay, and take care of her little sister, after all Konata did say she understood if they couldn't make it, so it wasn't like she was going to get mad at them.

Even as she was thinking this though she found herself saying, "Hey Mom, can I go over to Konata's house for a sleepover?"

Her mother looked questioningly at her daughter with an eyebrow raised, and asked, "Kagami it's storming outside. I don't mind you hanging out with her even if she is a little...odd, but shouldn't you wait for a better time?"

Kagami found herself insisting on going over for some reason, although she was still torn between going, and staying with Tsukasa, but she responded, "Well, she really wants Tsukasa, and I to go over, but Tsukasa's running a fever. Even so she's all by herself in this storm since her dad's away on business, and she sounds like she's getting pretty lonely and scared. Don't worry about me mom, I'll bundle up, and even wear TWO raincoats if I have to in order to not get sick too, but pleeeaaaase?"

She felt stupid as she ended her sentence using the puppy dog eyes technique she had seen Konata employ, and blushed a little when she heard Tsukasa giggle at her use of it, she had been hoping Tsukasa wouldn't notice.

Kagami's mother sighed, which made Kagami wonder if that's where she got that tendency from, and seeing that her daughter wasn't going to be moved on this subject she reluctantly agreed to let Kagami go out into the torrent on a couple conditions. The first condition was that she promised to bundle up warmly and dryly, and be extra careful, the second was that Konata meet her at the station since Kagami's mother didn't want her daughter going any further alone in this weather than she had to.

Kagami found her mood perking up suddenly, as she said, "Thanks mom, you're the best!"

She dashed off to her room with a little more exuberance than was necessary, and felt a little embarrassed as she slowly came back out of her room, and went to Tsukasa's side remembering she hadn't said anything comforting to Tsukasa at all. Kagami flushed as her mother giggled at her daughter's behavior.

The mother of the Hiragi family thought to herself, "Well, I have to question her intelligence about going out in this weather, but we could have done a lot worse for a daughter than someone who who would go outside in this sort of weather just to make their friends feel better."


	3. Otherworld!

Author's Note:Alright. I've mulled it over, and decided to go ahead and post chapter 3. Chapter 4 may take a couple days since I'll be waiting it out for reviews so I can improve on my weak points. I just thought If I got three chapters or so up, I would have enough written for people to analyze my writing style, and tell me where I need to improve the most. Hopefully the next chapter will be much better because of the advice.

Chapter 3 Otherworld!

Kagami approached Tsukasa's bed with feelings of anxiety, and a little guilt, she had momentarily forgotten her sister during the excitement of finally doing something interesting since this storm started, she did feel genuinely bad that Tsukasa wasn't going to be accompanying her though. She pulled the chair from next to Tsukasa's study desk, and sat beside her bed saying, "Well, sorry about this, but Konata wanted us to go hang out for a while, but I guess you can't really go."

Tsukasa, despite being disappointed about not being able to hang out with her friend, and big sister, smiled at Kagami assuring her that everything was fine. Seeing Tsukasa's smile perked her big sister up quite a bit since she immediately stopped feeling guilty after seeing such a happy face. Tsukasa said to her sister, "It's okay Onee-chan. I did want to go, but you know even if I wasn't sick there's no way mom would let me go out in this storm, she thinks I'm a big baby sometimes you know?"

Hearing the statement made Kagami realize it was the truth, and she was surprised she hadn't even considered that Tsukasa couldn't handle traveling through the storm. She would be jumping every time lightning flashed, and squealing when the thunder rolled around. She made another mental note to be more considerate of her sister, even though she often took care of her sister while she was facing one of her many unextraordinary fears, she never minded since she was the big sister, and it was not only her job, but her pleasure that her little sister depended on her so much.

Kagami smiled back at Tsukasa, saying, "Thanks a lot Tsukasa, you know if you ask me to, I won't go right? I'll stay here if you need me."

Tsukasa shook her head, and said, "Go. We haven't had much fun since the storm started, so I want one of us to go have fun no matter what. Just be careful okay?"

Kagami nodded, and smiled to her sister before she left the room to pack her things, and text Kona. Tsukasa was left in her bed thinking about how childish Kagami had been just a few moments before. She was secretly delighted whenever her chances to reassure her big sister came along. She felt great whenever it was her turn to play the role of comforting big sister, and pretended that in those moments she was a few minutes older than Kagami instead of the other way around. Tsukasa's thoughts were interrupted by a little bit of thunder scaring her, but she decided she wouldn't call for Kagami now, she was going to deal with it until Kagami left, and then call in her mom.

Kagami closed her door as she entered her room, and looked out her window. It was still a couple hours until night, but it was already pitch black outside except for the glow of street lights. She had been a little hopeful when the rain had slacked off earlier, but it had renewed itself, and was nearing the ferocity it had held on the day it started. First thing was first, she had to text Konata to tell her she was coming over.

She felt a little worried when she didn't immediately receive a reply, but after a few minutes she got a message back from Konata that eased her mind.

The message said, "Hey Kagami, I fell asleep, and I'm typing this while looking for my rain coat since I need to meet you at the station. Bummer that Tsukasa can't come as well, she would have come in handy in this storm. Oh well, I'm sure that we'll have plenty of fun together, by the way it's alright if you sleep over since I'm the only one here, I'm the only one who needs to give permission. See you in a bit."

Kagami chuckled at the message, thinking the reason it had taken a few minutes to send was Konata trying to think of a good pun from the kasa in Tsukasa's name. Kagami looked around her room, and quickly packed some extra clothes into her bag putting them into little waterproof bags she kept in her closet for when she needed to bring her school uniforms somewhere in the rain. She also put her homework and study materials in there since she was sure she would end up helping Konata with her homework at some point. She also brought along the manga Konata lent her in case she had an opportunity to read it. After a quick once over of her room, and a mental checklist she decided she would also bring a flashlight, just in case.

Kagami was headed out now, glad that the storm hadn't gotten nearly bad enough to stop the trains from running. She was stopped by her mom on the way out who wanted to check the text message from Konata to confirm they would meet at the station, and she insisted that Kagami drink a big cup of hot chocolate she had made just for Kagami before she would let Kagami leave.

A few minutes later with her belly warm, and umbrella prepped, she donned her raincoat, and umbrella, and went out into the storm. She set out towards the train station on foot since it wasn't too far, and she was lost in thought like she always was in situations like this. It always felt odd to be the only person out with no car or foot traffic to be seen. It also felt weird to barely be able to see even though it should have been bright at this time.

The wind whistled through her raincoat chilling her a little bit, and she was glad for the warm sweater she had worn under it. Drops pounded against her umbrella, and raincoat, and sometimes they made it through the gaps into her face, but she managed to make it to the train station with a mostly dry bag, and head. She was grateful for her good luck as the train was boarding right as she arrived, and she didn't have to wait around for the next one going that way.

She quickly found a seat on a nearly empty train, thankful for the heating systems in the cars, and she relaxed as the train set out for Konata.

Konata was awakened by a buzzing in her hand as Kagami finally answered her text. By looking at the time she quickly established she hadn't been asleep for long. She read the message, and was quickly lifted to her full spirits as she realized her friend was coming over even in the storm. She took a minute thinking of a clever message to send back, and then she rushed around setting everything up that they would need for entertainment through the night. She made sure since it was pretty cold out she had hot cocoa mix ready to make, and she made sure they had plenty of milk to mix it with. She checked the stock in her fridge so that she would know if she needed to go to the store right quick to get something good to make for Kagami's supper. Since they had plenty of stuff in there she decided against it. She quickly moved some doujinshi and stuff that would make Kagami uncomfortable out of the way, but made sure to leave some of it visible since she had an image to keep up with the girl coming over.

With the preparations set she headed downstairs, and quickly left. She was immediately back inside though shivering. She had forgotten it was cold and raining outside. She made her way back up to her room and changed out of the tan shorts and tank top she had been wearing, and into some thick jeans and a small blue sweater that matched her hair color. She then went to her closet, and retrieved her bright pink raincoat, and headed outside.

She loved how big and different everything seemed in the dark, like she was walking through some crazy otherworld. Like in one of her games where when it started raining the world changed, and monsters came out. She imagined herself in that situation, and wondered if there was anything around she could use to fight the monsters. At that moment she spotted a small metal pipe leaning on a wall near the entrance to a driveway between two homes, and she picked it up.

She examined little spots of rust on it, and it wasn't too heavy to be used effectively. It had a curve on top where it would normally conjoin with another section of pipe, but she guessed the previous owners had gotten a new one, and just discarded it without even thinking of all the possible dark cosplay purposes it could be used for.

She said out loud, "A length of steel pipe. About one meter long. Not very powerful, but easy to use. Yeah, I should be able to keep them at bay with this!"

She walked along occasionally ducking for cover into a shadow so she wouldn't be spotted by the beasts, sometimes stepping out of the shadows, and taking them down a couple sharp blows. She knew she had earned the respect of the foul creatures when they began to avoid her, and her mighty weapon. Even the big ones with the huge long arms avoided her, because they knew she had found their weakness. Even though they were tough, if she just kept strafing around them and swinging she could take them down without receiving any damage since they took so long to set up their punches.

She got completely wrapped up in the roleplay element on her way to the train depot to wait for Kagami, and found herself imagining she was the very last one left, on a journey to find another living soul in a now empty and dark world. At the height of her imaginings a car came by, and quickly sprayed a small puddle up hitting her like a tidal wave, and combined with the force of the wind and rain pushing against her she was nearly bowled over. Thanks to her raincoat she hadn't been completely drenched, but she coughed and sputtered as she spat some water that made it into her mouth while she had been delivering an overly dramatic line to her invisible companion.

She couldn't help but see the humor in it though, and cracked up half of the remaining distance to the train station.

Kagami was happy as she pulled up to the station, and disembarked. Her happiness didn't last long though. As she exited the train with her bag, she saw a small crowd of nervous adults standing around a bench in the station.

Lying on the bench was a familiar small figure in a hot pink raincoat. There was a piece of metal pipe lying on the ground near her, and Kagami shuddered as she saw red spots on it. It couldn't be blood could it? The pink hood was pulled back, and blue hair was spilling out behind, and under the small form. The figure's eyes were closed.


	4. Legendary Pipe Throwing Tsundere B!

Author's note:First of all, thanks for the reviews, and Chanith, I'll make sure to read other fanfics involving the sleepover scenario so I can get something original done with it. Also I have no idea where a couple people have gotten my email address from, but thank you for the insights, and I'll try and improve my grammar, and descriptions of the characters actions.  
Secondly, I'm having a lot more fun writing this than i originally thought. So far though I have no idea how long this story will end up being. I guess if I stop having fun I'll try to end it, or if I just think of a really great ending. So thanks guys, and hopefully you'll enjoy chapter 4 and the rest of the story.

Chapter 4 Legendary Pipe Throwing Tsundere B!

Kagami stopped for an instant, not sure what she was looking at. Her mind was racing through all sorts of horrible possibilities for Konata to be lying there. Had she been attacked by someone, maybe she slipped on the wet stairs leading down into the station, and hit her head. Kagami felt the strength flow out of her quickly, and she nearly collapsed. She was fighting her hardest to fight back tears that felt like they would push her eyes out.

Kagami weakly began taking small deliberate steps towards Konata lying on the bench. Her bag left unattended on the platform. She couldn't believe something like this could happen, not to Kona anyways. Kona was too annoying to ever be taken away from her, she was Kagami's divine punishment for being such a realist all the time wasn't she?

She took care to breathe slowly and properly, realizing she was right on the edge of complete panic. She wondered if anyone had already called an ambulance, why was noone trying to help her? What was wrong with these people?

Kagami reached the bench finally after moving awkwardly between the few adults standing around, and she reached out and felt Konata's forehead, it was still warm. Konata wasn't dead, Kagami couldn't even see any injuries, her breathing wasn't labored at all, actually it seemed...relaxed...

She looked at the piece of pipe on the ground near the bench, and noticed the spots were brown, not red, they were rust.

As if on cue Konata shifted, and moaned quietly, "Chocolate..."

Kagami's strength then flowed into her with ten times the fervor it had drained out with. It made Kagami feel like a completely new entity, and that particular demon's name was FURY. Kagami felt the vein from earlier pop out quickly, and she was about to give Konata a pretty rude awakening that would involve a lump for a couple days when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a big man in the uniform of the station workers, and he was looking at her with a concerned face. He asked her, "Excuse me, do you know this little girl?"

Kagami flushed with embarrassment, they thought a little girl had fallen asleep on the bench alone in the storm, or maybe she had been left by her parents on accident. The hot pink raincoat didn't help dismiss their thoughts that she was a little girl. Kagami decided the fastest way to get out of here was lying, so she told the man, "This is my little sister, I've been looking for her everywhere since she ran off from me, thank you so much for finding her sir."

The man looked between Kagami, and Konata who was still asleep. Kagami was thinking the man would call her on the lie, but after a moment he just smiled at her, noticing Kagami honestly did look incredibly worried about the girl when she had come up,and he said, "Poor thing must have gotten lost and tired, and came in to sleep when she found somewhere warm. You should make sure to keep a closer eye on her though young lady."

Kagami's worry left her as the man told the concerned adults in the small crowd that there was nothing the matter now, and they could all move on. Kagami retrieved her bag after everyone had left, and they were alone on the platform. She walked up to Konata's sleeping figure, still pretty pissed off, but now that she had had time to think she decided not to be angry at Konata. At least for this one time, she didn't think Konata had meant to cause a scene. She had probably just fallen asleep while she was waiting for Kagami's train to come in.

Looking at Konata's soft blue hair flowing around her, Kagami began to feel a little uneasy, and nervous for some reason, but she couldn't figure out why, even as she thought to herself while looking closely at the details of Konata's face, "Hmm...So this is why she enjoys sneaking up, and seeing people's sleeping faces. She's adorable when she's like this, I can see how they mistook her for a little girl even though she's older than me."

Kagami gently leaned down, and placed her hands on Konata's shoulder, and shook her. The smaller girl leaned away from Kagami trying to bury her face in pillows that weren't there. Kagami couldn't help but giggle at Konata's cute reaction. She shook Konata a little more forcefully the second time, and heard Konata moan, as she sat up rubbing her eyes. She looked around blearily with no life showing on her face at all, she didn't even seem to recognize Kagami as her gaze went in other directions looking around.

Konata blinked heavily a couple times, and finally her eyes rested in a shut position while she was still sitting up. Kagami was unsure what had happened there, was Konata asleep again? She was about to reach out and shake Konata one more time when Konata's eyes shot to their rarely, fully open state, immense confusion evident on her face. A couple people who had drifted in to wait on the next train looked over when they heard Konata shout, "WHERE AM I!"

A couple minutes later a very embarrassed Kagami walked out of the station dragging a very excited Konata by the hand, and carrying her bag in the other. Konata was still dragging that pipe behind her, but Kagami didn't release her despite the annoying clanging sounds as it hit against the ground, and of course it had hit against every stair on the way out. Once they were a good distance away from the station, and in the roar of the storm, Kagami stopped Konata, and gripped her right hand tightly.

Konata gasped in surprise as Kagami gripped her hand suddenly, the grip felt very different from the dragging grip on her hand moments before. She felt Kagami's thumb work its way past her tightly clasped fingers even though she tried her hardest to keep them closed, and Kagami successfully snatched the pipe from Konata. Kagami then turned, and chunked it off into the air as hard as she could, and Konata could swear she saw a small sparkle appear in the sky when she lost sight of it.

Kagami stood there, still in her tomahawk throwing pose, panting, while Konata watched the rain bounce off Kagami's pulled up hood. She wasn't sure if Kagami was mad about something or not, so she decided to try and start some conversation, saying, "Uhhhh...Kagami-sama? You know, it isn't nice to throw other people's things away."

Kagami jumped when she heard Konata's remark, she hadn't really been angry, or even annoyed at the pipe, she had just been venting the anger that had welled up earlier. She realized what she had done, and immediately felt bad about it. She turned to Konata, and after a moment she said, "Sorry Konata. I don't know what came over me. I didn't even consider it might be one of your favorite anime props or something. Was it very expensive? I'll replace it for you if that'll make it better."

Konata seeing a great opportunity arise did her best acting saying, "Well, that's not really an issue. It was a prop used in one of my favorite movies, it's one of a kind."

Kagami's posture drooped, and Konata immediately knew she had sounded disappointing enough to convince the girl that it was true, even though she nearly had to shout for Kagami to hear her through the rain, and their coats covering their ears.

Kagami felt terrible, she knew how much those sorts of things meant to her friend, and Konata had sounded really disappointed, and of course one of the few times Kagami was the one who went overboard, she had done something that couldn't be taken back since that thing was one of a kind. She looked at Konata's face, which had a severe look of disappointment on it, and Kagami couldn't be sure if the water coming from Kona's eyes was actually rain.

Kagami decided there was only one thing to do then. She reached down to her bag, and pulled her umbrella from where it rested in a carrying loop on the side. She quickly extended the collapsible handle, and opened her lilac colored umbrella. She then put her right hand on Konata's shoulder in a comforting manner, and said, "I'm going to find it."

Konata was honestly surprised by this, and to emphasize she looked up at Kagami's determined face, and said, "Huh?"

Kagami smiled down at the smaller girl, and said, "I'll go find it for you, so don't be mad at me okay?"

"Kagami...", Konata said quietly, but Kagami couldn't hear over the rain, Konata thought that was the second nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, and the nicest thing had also been done by Kagami, and it was so nice Konata still lay awake at night trying to figure out why she did what she did. She had a sudden urge to just come clean with Kagami, and tell her it was just some random pipe she had found while roleplaying, but she couldn't bring herself to make Kagami feel stupid for having gotten overly serious about it, so she perked up, and yelled so Kagami could hear, "OH YEAH! It'll be an epic quest, I think I'll call it 'Konami's Rainy Day Adventure', or 'The Penultimate Pipe's Preamble Scramble'. Come on my Legendary Pipe Throwing Tsundere, onwards to adventure!" 


	5. The Penultimate Pipe's Preamble Scramble

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews once again, and I hope you're still enjoying the story. If you're not then please tell me where my writing has strayed, and hopefully I'll be able to fix it. It's time to address a couple things. People have been asking about the manga in chapter 2 that Kagami was reading. It IS in fact a real manga. It is the Outlaw Star manga, a great one to be sure. Also uhhh... Hyperkinetic-Rabbity-Thing, that feels odd to type as a direct address to someone, you were right about Kasa meaning umbrella, and that was the pun I was going for, I'll try and clarify future puns if there are any so that noone will have to be wondering if they understood alright. Well, that ends this Author's note, I thank you for reading, and will continue to do my best for your enjoyment...Also, the exclamation point wouldn't fit into the chapter title field when publishing this, but please remember that it's there!

Chapter 5 The Penultimate Pipe's Preamble Scramble!

Kagami felt a little embarrassed for a moment that she even knew someone who could think the sentence Konata had just shouted with pride, but she was glad that Konata wasn't mad at her. She had really been frightened she was about to lose a friend there for a second. She sniffed for a second, sure Konata couldn't hear or see how close Kagami had been to crying, and then she surprised Konata by suddenly taking up a martial arts stance next to Konata who was still pointing forward excitedly from when she had said 'Onward to adventure!,' shouting, "Yes! Adventure!"

Konata may not have been the most perceptive person in the world when it came to feelings. The previous statement may also be labeled as an understatement, but Konata was dead sure that her and Kagami had just taken a step forward in their friendship, and she was really happy for it. They broke their pose, and Konata said, "So, how do we go about finding it? It could be anywhere!"

Kagami responded, "Well, I guess we'll just walk in the direction I threw it in, and look around, hopefully it hasn't been washed away somewhere. If we happen across a large current we'll follow it, and maybe we'll find the pipe that way. Let's go."

Kagami started walking forward with Konata plodding happily along behind her besides the fact that Kagami was under the impression she had thrown away Konata's favorite novelty prop. Kagami glanced backwards at Konata, and stopped, Konata pulled up short of her, and smiled up saying sweetly, "What's the matter Kagami-sama?"

Konata cringed inwardly thinking she was about to get beaten down because Kagami had seen through her story, but Kagami just said, "Konata? Where's your umbrella?"

Konata stared blankly unable to comprehend the question even though it was quite a simple one, but as she understood what Kagami was asking she said matter of factly, "I didn't bring one."

After saying it she smiled even broader at Kagami, and Kagami asked feeling a little confused over why anyone would come out in a storm like this without an umbrella. She asked Konata, "Well, why not?"

Konata once again looked at her in an agitated manner, and said,"I don't really want to say it."

Kagami was even more confused now, she could swear Konata looked annoyed at something now. Kagami asked, "Is it really something that personal? Did one of your game characters denounce umbrellas or something?

This time it was Konata's turn to feel a vein of agitation pulsing on her forehead as she thought to herself,"Man, she's really insensitive sometimes, and a little dumb. Oh well, I guess that might be one of her moe points.

Finally Konata sighed aloud, and clenched her fists tightly at her side saying in a slightly annoyed, and for some reason slightly pleading voice, "Isn't it obvious. If someone like me were to bring an umbrella out in a storm like this, I would be blown away."

Both paused for a minute, spacing out. A very serious look coming over Konata's face, and a blush slowly spreading across Kagami's as her eyes widened bringing back a little sparkle she had lost to the sadness she had felt earlier.

MENTAL IMAGE TIME!

Konata:This is a time where the writer allows you to look into our imagination. I don't know how many times they plan on doing it in the story, but I'd say at least once is a fair guess.

Kagami:Konata! You're not the narrator, just act your role like you're supposed to!

Konata:But Kagamin, if I always did exactly what I was supposed to I wouldn't even be me.

Kagami:*sigh*Fine just don't go overboard, and start naming stuff again, just finish so we can move on okay?

Konata:Roger! Without further delay here's the"Theatre of the Mind!"

Kagami:Hey! What did I say!

Konata:Too late! *Runs off before Kagami can remark, Kagami gives chase*

KONATA'S MENTAL IMAGE

**Konata in her pink rain coat looks around, all the buildings around her are ridiculously large, single story houses looking hundreds of feet tall. The lights on the street lights looking like stars in a distant sky. The rain is fifty times heavier than in actuality, and the wind is nothing short of typhoon force. There is random debris flying past Konata, as she desperately dodges baseball bats, picnic tables, and even a cow as she seeks refuge from the rain.**

**She remembers in her coat pocket a mighty weapon that can slay storms with a single sliding motion, and offer her shelter from anything the storm throws at her. She pulls the legendary weapon, and extends the handle. It seems to be a metal staff of some kind, but with a comfortable plastic grip at the bottom. Konata pushes in a small piece of metal, and begins to slide something upwards, pink fabric magically appearing and spreading outwards forming a dome shaped shield around her.**

**As soon as the dome shield is in place a picnic table hits it, and splinters, Konata is perfectly safe from it. She shouts in defiance of the storm, "Come on! Gimme everything you got, you can't beat me!"**

**She moves forward smashing debris with her dome shield, until a new foe appears in front of her. The wind comes inwards, spiraling in on itself until it's visible, and two large red dots appear at the top of the funnel shape signifying the eyes of some horrible beast. Two more funnels come from the middle of its height the open ends facing outwards signifying the arms of the monster. Lightning flows horizontally just below the eyes as it roars at her, a swirling mass of darkness.**

**Debris begins to hurl at Konata from out of the center of the beast, but she is not phased as she jumps onto a picnic table running vertically on it, and jumping up, only to kick off of a truck when she begins losing momentum. She then runs at an angle towards the beast along a light post that's falling, and finally she goes on the offensive, swinging her shield around to contact the large beast's chest it roars in anger, and pain as it falls backwards.**

**Konata can feel victory is in her grasp. She can't imagine the loot and xp this thing must leave, but luck is not on her side, as she stands on a rapidly falling car standing flat as if the car were rooted to the ground, and it was the easiest thing in the world. She swings her massive pink umbrella up onto her shoulders and screams a victory cry that fails as the wind the monster generates catches the underside of the dome, and she feels herself being pulled back.**

**Despite her incredible strength she realizes how correct the Borg were, and she gives in as the wind carries her off into the night sky never to be seen again.**

**Konata thought to herself, "Terrifying.I haven't saved since I started."**

KAGAMI'S MENTAL IMAGE

_Konata is standing in the rain. Kagami is looking at her wondering why she's just standing there looking like the most amazing thing in the world just happened to her. She shouts out, "Hey Konata! What are you doing in the rain!"_

_Konata looks over at Kagami with a huge grin, and sparkling fully opened emerald eyes. Kagami wonders again what Konata is doing, and is about to call out again when Konata reaches behind her, and out of nowhere pulls a large pink duffel bag. She sets it on the ground in front of her, and then unzips it. She begins going through it tossing out random junk like toasters, baseballs, plates, and eventually she stops, and looks excited._

_Konata looks over at Kagami with her still sparkling eyes, and waves, calling out, "I have to go. Bye now Kagamin!"_

_With that Konata bends over, and removes a small umbrella from the bag. She holds it up, and begins laughing. As a large gust of wind makes its way past Kagami towards Kona. Konata opens the umbrella, and leaps into the air carried off into the distance by the wind while kicking her legs, and cackling happily into the night._

_Kagami thought to herself, "That has to be the cutest thing I have ever imagined."_

END MENTAL IMAGE TIME!

"Hey Kagamin...?" Konata asked nervously.

Kagami started nervously at Konata's voice, being wakened from her image. She asked Konata, "What is it Konata, is something wrong?"

Konata then responded, "Well, if we just stand here, we're never going to find my pipe are we?"

Kagami suddenly remembered why they were out there in the biggest torrent of the year, and agreed that it was best they get to looking for the pipe immediately. Not only so they didn't end up sick like Tsukasa, but also so Kagami could ease her conscience a bit. Still, she couldn't have Konata walking around unshielded by an umbrella, so she said, "Come over here Konata."

Konata looked at her questioningly, but obeyed, and went to stand next to the pigtailed girl. Konata felt anxious standing so close to Kagami once Kagami moved really close to her. She hated when Kagami showed off how tall she was, but something seemed different this time. She felt a sudden relief spread across her body as the rain quit pounding her raincoat heavily from above.

Kagami had angled the umbrella against the torrent so that both her and Konata would be protected from as much of it as possible. Even though more rain was hitting Kagami than before, the amount of relief on Konata was exponential.

Konata was once again surprised by Kagami's kindness for no apparent reason, and found herself thinking, "If she keeps up like this, I won't have a Tsundere to tease anymore." That thought made her much sadder than she thought it would, but in response she just made up her mind to tease Kagami no matter how she changed. After all, that's what friends were for. She wouldn't abandon Kagami just because Kagami decided to be a little less interesting, besides, even if Kagami lost a little of Kona's interest she would still have more of it than anyone else, because Konata felt like she could never figure out Kagami. She was a puzzle that became more puzzling the more she puzzled on it.

That brought her mind back to the time her dad had bet her she couldn't solve the Rubik's Cube she had gotten for Christmas two years earlier, and she said she could, but she didn't know her dad had switched three of the stickers with different colors so it was impossible.

She realized as her train of thought ended that she was walking down a driveway with Kagami. They were cutting between two houses like the ones she had found the pipe between. This was apparently the direction Kagami had thrown the pipe in, and they walked around checking all the shadowy areas it could have fallen in.

Konata suggested they also check in the small planter trees in case it got hung up in their branches, but it was to no avail. Afterwards Konata suggested that maybe it was in China since Kagami had thrown pretty ferociously in that general direction. Maybe it had even caused a hole the Mongolians could get through.

The crazy suggestions and speculation slightly annoyed Kagami, but she was just glad Konata still hadn't gone back to that disappointed look. She couldn't stand to see any of her friends looking sad over something she did, and on Kona, sadness just seemed wrong for some reason. Konata shouldn't ever be sad since she was the rambunctious, merry-making,satire member of the group. Kagami knew though, just like her, Konata was human too, and could be hurt by careless people just like anyone else. Maybe not from the same things that would upset normal people, but she would be saddened, and disappointed no different from anyone else.

Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled rattling the windows nearby, but the brief illumination didn't help in their search for the missing pipe. The rain began to intensify slightly as did the wind chilling them a little, but even so now that they were so close together their body heat kept them warmer than they had been before the wind had intensified.

They checked in gutters, trash cans, and drains, and found nothing, there wasn't even a big current that could have drug it off somewhere. Kagami was quickly beginning to lose hope in their quest, and she wondered how long it would take Konata to be sad again, but as she looked down at the smaller girl, she was surprised to see her smiling happily, and looking around at possible hiding places. She even led Kagami over to a small can which she upturned, and then peeked inside whispering, "Just in case.," causing Kagami to giggle although Konata couldn't hear the giggle because of another blast of thunder

Still Kagami knew it wouldn't be long before the smaller girl realized Kagami had given up, there was no way to find the pipe. These thoughts kept coming back to her, and she could feel her sniffles starting to return. She really dreaded what it would be like if Konata didn't want to be friends with her anymore over this. She also worried if her little sister's relationship with Konata would suffer over it.

Thinking of her sister being hurt over Kagami doing something stupid without thinking was almost too much to bear with her already stressed-out state. She almost started crying right then when she felt Konata's grip on Kagami's raincoat, which had been previously unnoticed, tighten suddenly. Kagami closed her eyes, she just kept thinking, "This is it. She's finally ready to be mad now. Took her long enough, sometimes she's too nice for her own good."

Nothing came.

Kagami opened her eyes to see Konata looking up at her still looking happy as ever. Her hood had even fallen down from the steep angle Konata had to turn her head at in order to look Kagami in the eyes from their short distance apart. She almost jumped when Konata shouted so Kagami could hear, "Hey you're slowing down! If you're tired we can just go home, and come look tomorrow, or whenever the storm settles down."

Kagami's fear, and tension drained from her as her strength had done when she thought Konata had been hurt in that train depot. Then a feeling came coming back in, but this time it wasn't fury, it was determination. She looked down into Kona's big green eyes, and she could swear she saw some of the sparkle that had been in her earlier mental image. Konata was actually having fun searching for the pipe with her friend in the rain. She didn't seem too worried about how long it took, or how wet she got. Kagami suddenly felt envious of the smaller girl. She didn't have that kind of internal strength.

She was comparing Konata to herself, thinking if the roles were reversed, and Konata had gotten rid of Kagami's senior trip picture of herself, Konata, Tsukasa, and Miyuki, that she would be distraught, and angry. She probably would have screamed and cried at Konata by now. She knew how Konata's mind worked, something rare like that pipe would be as important as Kagami's picture was to her, and all Konata had done since she had thrown it was offer her comfort.

Kagami smiled down at Konata, with a new determined look on her face that didn't go unnoticed by Konata. Kagami said, "No way. If today gets ruined, it's gonna be by one of your dumb remarks, not through something that's my fault. Your movie prop is as good as found Kona, so don't worry at all. I'm not tired, and I'll definitely find it."

Konata's eyes opened up all the way, looking at Kagami as if she were a hero in some anime who had magically just stepped out of her just knew that she had impressed Konata, and was feeling pretty proud of herself until she felt Konata come in close, and hug her. She hadn't been expecting this at all. She looked down at Konata, who was wearing her signature cat smile, telling Kagami there was definitely some stupid remark on it's way that would make Kagami embarrassed again, but she made up her mind to enjoy whatever it was instead of getting embarrassed.

Konata squeezed Kagami tightly, even though the girl was much taller, and hard to pull in, and said teasingly, "Awww, Kagamin's so cute, she forgot her mental block, and called me Kona."

Kagami turned beet red in less than a second. She was very thankful Konata let her go as soon as she was done teasing though, she didn't think she could handle much more contact after that without passing out from the heat of her embarrassment.

Kagami just sighed aloud, and said, "Fine, I'll give you that one since I threw your pipe, but the next one earns you a lump on the head."

Konata just laughed, and said, "It's okay, I'll take the good AND the bad if it's to embarrass you Kagamin!"

Kagami was about to retort with some of her new found determination when lightning flashed, and she noticed something odd about a sidewalk drain across the street from them. She felt numb all of a sudden, could she really have seen what she thought she saw. She carefully checked both ways before running across the street even though nothing was coming.

She was so caught up in the moment she forgot she was also shielding Konata who she left without umbrella cover as she went to investigate the drain. Konata's voice seemed very distant as she screamed, while pulling her raincoat's hood back up, "WAAAAAH, I'M GETTING SOAKED! WHAT'D I DO!"

Kagami bent over, letting her umbrella drop, and be carried up against a wall of the building across from the drain by the wind, and felt just on the inside of the grill. There was something caught on the inside, it was rough, and felt like it had a spiral tread. She got her fingers on it as best she could, and tugged, being rewarded with a clanking noise as the pipe pulled out easily from where it was caught on the drain cover. Kagami beamed at the pipe like it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

She didn't notice Konata had come up beside her, so when she stood up quickly, while turning to show Konata the pipe her head collided with Konata's chin, sending the smaller girl sprawling, and giving Kagami an ache in the crown of her head she wouldn't soon forget. Kagami wasn't too worried about Kona since she had hit her head plenty of times harder than that, and the girl had been fine, so Kagami just brandished the pipe before her giving a big "V" for Victory sign with her right hand.

Konata called out from her place on the ground, "SUCCESS, quest complete, awarded 5407 XP! Level up Kagamin!"

Kagami wasn't sure exactly what Konata meant, but she could tell her friend was happy, and finding the pipe was a load off of her mind. She reached down, and pulled Konata up who was now grumbling at the pain in her chin saying, "Jeez Kagami, you'd think a giant would have learned to watch where she was going by now. You can really hurt people like that."

Kagami ignored the statement about her size, and held the pipe out to Konata who graciously accepted on one knee despite the rain, and giving Kagami a quiet, "My lady."

She watched as Konata pranced around giving it some test swings, and blocking some invisible object, then Konata announced happily, "Yeah, this is definitely the one, they're still scared. Thanks a lot Kagami."

Kagami became serious at Konata's remark saying, "You don't need to thank me, if it wasn't for me you never would have lost it."

Konata stopped to study Kagami's face a little confused as to why she was so serious all of a sudden, and she said, "It's no big deal Kagami, it's not like I've never lost any of your things. Remember that one novel I promised to read in return for homework answers? It took me a month of you asking for it to come to the conclusion I had lost it somewhere, but couldn't ever find it, and you never even got mad at me. I have to admit, I was a little worried you would make a big deal out of it, but you didn't even ask me to buy a new one for you. "

Kagami did remember the time Konata was talking about, but that had been a simple mistake, not really anything Kagami considered important. It wasn't even comparable to anything such as a prop used in one of your favorite movies. Kagami's bad feelings now returned despite the successful quest, she remembered Konata's disappointed look. She had hurt her friend, and she knew if she didn't get her temper under control it was only a matter of time before she did it again, and next time she might lose Konata for good. She couldn't believe Konata had taken everything so well, especially since she was obsessed over all of her fandom stuff.

Kagami could feel the pressure growing behind her eyes, and a small lump in her throat again remembering how bad she felt for hurting her friend. She was about to delve even deeper into her melancholy when Konata grabbed her hand, pulling her from her dark thoughts.

Konata was looking up, and meeting her eyes again, her hood had fallen back once again, and Kagami wasn't shielding either of them with her umbrella this time. Konata said barely loud enough for Kagami to hear, "It's alright Kagami. Don't get all serious on me here. I knew the second you threw it that you'd find it too, I wasn't worried at all. So don't get all mushy thinking you hurt my feelings."

Kagami's lump only got bigger from this, but her sadness was gone completely. Sometimes Konata seemed really insensitive, and dumb, but sometimes, Kagami would swear to god Konata was a little mind reader, especially when Kagami didn't want Konata to know how she was feeling. She looked into Konata's half lidded eyes. Konata was still smiling a dumb looking smile, and getting soaked.

Kagami slowly reached out. Thinking how lucky she was to have a friend like Konata. Her hands were getting closer to Konata's face. She could only imagine how she looked right now, her raincoat had protected her from most of the rain, but she still felt like she was soaked all the way through. Konata's eyes slowly widened as Kagami's hands traveled towards her neck, thinking maybe Kagami had FINALLY seen through her story, and was getting ready to strangle her. Kagami felt the seconds stretch out as she firmly gripped the top of Konata's shoulders, desperately wanting an answer to the question blaring in her mind.

Kagami pulled Konata's raincoat hood up over Konata's head, shielding her from the soaking rain. She then asked her question, "You never had a doubt huh? Not even for a second?"

Konata didn't know why, but she felt strange as she looked up at her saddened friend's face. Her stomach tightened up, and she felt like something was really, really strange, but she answered with a serious face, and what immediately popped into her head, "I don't ever doubt my friends, and I know you'd never do anything to hurt someone on purpose Kagami. Even if you're Tsundere, your Dere side is way too big for that."

Kagami, despite mentally attacking the nerdiness of the line, was honestly moved, she knew Konata meant what she said. She also tried as hard as she could to remember a time she had been as happy as she was right then, and couldn't think of a single one. She was suddenly hit with a barrage of feelings towards the smaller girl, feelings of all sorts. She hated how Konata never seemed affected by anything, until she lost something related to an anime or manga. She loved how Konata always tried her hardest to make her friends laugh, and how she always tried to make sure they were having fun. She was annoyed at how obsessed the girl was over her hobbies, and in a few short seconds she relived their entire friendship, thinking, "I don't think I could have done better for a friend than her if I had tried."

Konata was pleased Kagami was looking happy again, but something was wrong. She still didn't understand the feeling she had felt only moments before. Maybe she had just been reacting to Kagami being sad. She couldn't stand it when people she cared about got depressed. Also Kagami had seemed extra sad, so of course Konata's dislike of that would have to have been extra strong to match it.

While she was spacing out trying to figure out what she had been feeling, Kagami went over to retrieve her umbrella, and then called out, "Hey Konata! Let's go! We still have a sleepover to get done remember!"

Konata was shaken from her thoughts by Kagami's voice, and she suddenly remembered all the great stuff her and Kagami could do once they got back to her house. She excitedly ran with her now important pipe towards Kagami, exclaiming, "OH YEAH! LET'S GO!"

With only a quarter of the distance remaining between herself and Kagami, Konata dropped the pipe, and lunged in the air towards her tsundere friend, with a big smile on her face, eyes fully opened, and arms spread wide for a giant hug she flew towards Kagami like a Kam*ham*ha wave of friendship.

Kagami watched her friend dash, jump, and spread her arms smiling happily. Things seemed to go slow motion for Kagami as Konata dreamily closed the distance in the air. Kagami was wrapped up in a daze as she looked into Konata's big, green, shining eyes.

Kagami didn't understand what hit her until she was down.


	6. Home Cookin!

Author's Notes: Alright, this took a little longer than the previous chapters mainly because I've tried to step up my editing process. Mainly trying to make sure I don't have a surplus of superfluous information, and such. I don't think there are any broken sentences this time, but if you spot something please tell me so I can get it fixed. As I've said before, I want this story to be the best it can be for you guys, so tell me any weak points in my writing you see, and I promise I'll work hard to strengthen them.

Chapter 6 Home Cookin'!

Kagami lay on the ground looking up at the the sky, the rain was pouring down into her hood getting her face wet, and also the top of her sweater. Luckily she hadn't been tackled into a puddle or she would have been completely soaked. She could feel a pressure going from the bottom of her breasts down to her feet where Konata was lying on top of her, still hugging her.

She glanced over to where her umbrella lay blown up against the same building as before since the wind hadn't yet changed directions. She felt strange, surreal. Like everything about this place wasn't quite reality. The only thing she could be sure was real was her, and the weight on top of her. For once she wasn't flushing with embarrassment at their proximity. She had to resist an urge to just squeeze her little friend as tight as she could.

Kagami wasn't sure what was coming over her, but she was sure that it frightened her a little. She wanted to stay like that, but at the same time, every second was torturing her, she was having trouble breathing, and her body was starting to feel heavy.

"K-Konata...?," Kagami whispered down to her friend.

Konata was wrapped up in how soft, and warm Kagami felt. Kagami's breasts were resting on top of Konata's head. Kagami's belly was warm, and soft, softer than any pillow she had ever felt. Kagami's legs felt surprisingly slim under Konata. Konata felt inexplicably happy. She had never been close like this to Kagami or anyone but her dad. It felt nice. It was very comforting for her. Konata couldn't help but squeeze Kagami a little tighter, and push her face deeper into Kagami's raincoat.

Konata jumped when she heard Kagami's whisper. She answered, "What is it Kagamin?"

Kagami answered back, "Konata, can you get off? I'm having trouble breathing. What are you doing tackling people to the ground anyways?"

With that Kagami felt some of her old self returning, but with that bit of her old self she could also feel warmth coming back into her face as she began blushing from their closeness.

Konata answered back, "But you're so warm Kagami, do I have to?"

Now Kagami was really blushing, that hadn't been at all what she was expecting, also it was weird the way Konata said it, like she was really far away. None of her usual teasing was in her voice at all. This moment was becoming more embarrassing and awkward by the second. Kagami decided she needed to be a little short with Konata to snap her back to reality, so she said, "Yes you have to get off, I'm getting soaked! Do you want me to get sick, and us not have any fun at the sleepover?"

That got Konata's attention. She knew because Konata suddenly wasn't so tensed up on top of her, she relaxed, and looked up at Kagami with the cat smile making another appearance, Konata answered Kagami, "It's okay if you get sick though, because I'll take care of my Kagami, right?"

Kagami felt her blush deepening if that were possible at this point, but she found herself answering dreamily, "Yeah, that's right...I mean NO! What kind of answer is that? Get off now!"

Konata didn't stand up, but just rolled over until she flopped off of Kagami, and lay beside her, the rain now pouring down into her hood as well. They were silent for a minute before Kagami said, "Really, you shouldn't just tackle people dummy."

Konata smiled at the feeble insult knowing Kagami was saying it fondly, Konata replied, "I meant for you to catch me, but you just stared at me until it was too late. Oh well, I guess that kind of stuff doesn't work in real life."

Kagami smiled at her friend's thoughts, and finally got up off the ground. Konata just stayed there on the sidewalk with her arms and legs splayed out in a spread eagle form. Kagami came back a moment later with the umbrella, and held it over Konata saying, "Come on you goof, let's go."

Konata finally got up, and then retrieved her pipe before joining Kagami under the umbrella. As Konata rejoined Kagami she grabbed Kagami's arm , tucking her own around the inside of Kagami's elbow, and leaned against the taller girl, grinning her cat smile, and enjoying Kagami's flustered blushing to the fullest in the haze of the street lights. She told Kagami, "I'm glad I didn't bring my umbrella now, since I get to share one with _you_ Kagamin."

Kagamin sputtered a few failed responses before promptly removing the smaller girl's arm, and finally managing to say, "It's not like that at all! Honestly, you're like some pervy old man sometimes.", her blush didn't go away though as she and Konata began walking, still pretty close to each other.

They began their walk home finally back to mostly normal, and chatting about normal topics, or at least normal topics for them. Konata was talking about her plans for the winter Comiket, while Kagami just listened contentedly, happy for the first real chance to relax and think since she had gotten off her train.

She almost couldn't believe how emotional she had been just a little before. Under normal circumstances even if she had done something bad to Konata she wouldn't have felt as horrible as she had fifteen minutes before. She had almost been completely distraught. She didn't quite understand why she had become so emotional.

When she tried to figure it out, a single image kept flashing through her head. She saw Konata lying on the bench in the train station with her eyes closed. She didn't understand what that could have to do with anything. Sure, she had been scared at the time, but she knew now that Konata had been sleeping.

Before she knew it, they were at Kona's house, meaning she didn't have any more time to ponder her own strange behavior. She couldn't see any lights on inside which made sense considering its' only occupant was standing outside looking up at it. Konata happily dashed up the walkway leading to the front door, and waited for Kagami to get there. Konata reached out her right hand to the knob, and turned it a fraction of an inch. Then just a fraction in the other direction. She looked very serious for a minute before bowing her head, and saying, "It's locked. I guess we have to go to your place."

Kagami definitely felt the vein protrude this time as she popped Konata in the back of the head saying, "Quit screwing around!"

Konata looked up at Kagami saying, "Sorry."

Konata then unlocked the door with a key she had in her jeans pocket which took a minute to fumble out because of the raincoat. She opened the door, and the two quickly stepped inside shutting the door behind them.

Kagami was thankful for the warmth of the home, having not realized how cold she had been until she was in a properly heated shelter. She began to remove her raincoat, and closed her umbrella as Konata dashed off without saying anything. A moment later a light came on from upstairs though, so Kagami imagined Konata was going to get something from her room.

Kagami finally managed to get out of her rain coat,and struggle out of her she went to the kitchen to look for a rag to dry up the water she had tracked into the entryway. She began looking around in the kitchen, not sure exactly where Konata, and her dad would keep their towels, and a little afraid of just opening random cabinets and drawers knowing she could find something really odd in any one of them. She decided to open up a drawer finally, but as she leaned over to open it, her vision went black.

Someone had draped a cloth over her from behind, and was now pulling it tight across her eyes, and head, she could feel them rubbing it roughly through her hair, and across her forehead. She had been stunned in the first instant, but now she started struggling, and managed to push her attacker back. She ripped the cloth off her head, only to see Konata with a big smile, and a towel already over her head.

Kagami looked at the cloth in her hand, and saw it was another towel. Konata had managed to annoy her again, honestly it was like that's what the girl had been brought into the world for. Kagami yelled, "Who just attacks people with towels! I was seriously considering stabbing you for a minute, be more reasonable!"

Konata couldn't help it, she started cracking up at her friend's annoyance. It wasn't often she got a chance to pull off something great like that. She had been stalking Kagami for almost two minutes waiting for the perfect time to strike, and it had totally been worth it.

Kagami quickly got over her anger feeling a little dumb about shouting at someone who obviously didn't care about whether Kagami was angry or not. She decided to just let this one go too, and began drying her hair. When she was done she noticed Konata had snuck off again, but as she heard water running upstairs, she figured Konata was preparing to take a bath, that was good, Kagami decided to take one right after her. A good hot soak would feel great after being out in the rain for nearly an hour.

She noticed the clock hanging in the entryway as she dried up the water there, and saw it was now 8:00 pm. The time had sure passed by quickly since she had left her house. The whole thing still seemed a bit unreal to her for some reason, but she was sure this wasn't all a dream, after all, her dreams that featured Kona were way more random than what had been going on. She also felt a little dumb because she was getting excited thinking about how much fun they were going to have talking, and playing games later on. She felt like a little kid for the anticipation. She was trying to get her feelings under control when she heard Kona's soft footsteps coming down the stairs.

Konata came running over to Kagami yelling, like they were still outside where they had to struggle to hear over the rain, "Okay Kagami, I got you a nice hot bath drawn just like you like, so get ready."

Even as she was saying it she was grabbing Kagami's sweater, and lifting it up off of her shoulders too quickly for Kagami to react. When she did regain her composure she was just wearing her jeans, and a bra, and blushing furiously yelling, "KONATA! WHAT THE HELL! Don't just do stuff like that!"

Konata was enjoying every second of it, retorting, "You're funny Kagami! What's the big deal? It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before. Besides," Konata looked Kagami over for a moment, seeing her tight fitting jeans, and her blushing face while only having a lacy pink bra on her top half,"From here, you're looking pretty good girl."

Kagami felt heat spreading through her whole body instead of just her face at being admired like that, Kagami angrily snatched her sweater back, and stomped upstairs, grumbling about how dumb Konata was sometimes.

Kagami quickly let her anger drain away as she dipped into the hot water. It felt really great, the temperature was exactly the way she liked it. The warmth slowly spread through her whole body, and she relaxed allowing her head to fall back against the edge of the bathtub, and her eyes close. All of the tension in her muscles faded in just a few minutes, and so she got out, and scrubbed her body clean, then returned to the hot water to soak some more after cleaning herself.

She let her thoughts drift for a few minutes until she started smelling some great odors that made her stomach begin grumbling. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to run downstairs, and begin eating immediately, but she knew that's exactly what Konata wanted her to do so she could tease her about about her weight, and eating habits again.

Still the food smelled great, and she knew Konata's cooking was also well above average, and she was really looking forward to whatever Konata was making. She managed to wait out about ten minutes. She could still hear Konata busying herself with dishes and stuff downstairs, and she figured she could at least hold off until it was ready.

She got out of the tub, and drained the water. She opened her bag, and fetched some clothes. She put on a set of matching pure white bra, and panties, a pair of athletic shorts coming almost to her knees, and a white T-shirt with no decorations just so she would be comfortable. She placed her already worn clothes into the bag she got her new outfit from,and went to put her bag in Konata's room, she went downstairs where the noises had finally stopped, but the smells were still delicious.

She arrived downstairs to see Konata removing a white apron from her shoulders. Kagami strangely regretted not coming down earlier, and seeing how Konata looked while she was busy cooking, but the thought passed as she saw the meal Konata had prepared.

The meal was set up beautifully, and looked delicious. Kagami didn't even blush as her stomach rumbled audibly. On each side of the table in the center there was a big bowl of Yakisoba, with a smaller bowl of fried rice on the left side of the Yakisoba bowl. On the right side of each Yakisoba bowl was a small plate holding four skewers of golden brown Yakitori. There was a big glass of Coca-Cola for each of them, and as the centerpiece for the meal was a big pot of Oden for their enjoyment.

Konata smiled at Kagami as they both took their seats, Kagami looked at Konata who seemed nervous for some reason saying, "Wow, it looks delicious. I wish I could make a meal like this."

Konata rubbed the back of her head with her left arm saying only, "Y-Yeah...thanks."

Something was weird here. Konata was way too quiet, and she hadn't even teased Kagami at how happy she looked when she had seen the food. Every dish was one of Kagami's favorites as well. Maybe Konata was just buttering her up before asking for her homework, but that didn't seem right, as Konata had never offered anything in trade for homework before.

Konata watched tensely as Kagami picked up a skewer of the Yakitori, and Kagami was about to eat the end piece right off the stick when she looked at Konata, and blushed slightly, setting it down, and grabbing her chopsticks.

Konata giggled at her, and said, "There's no reason to get all proper Kagami. It's just us, besides you should eat a meal in a way that you enjoy, that way even if you don't like what you're eating you'll still get some enjoyment from it."

Kagami smiled back at Konata thankful for the girl's insistence on informality. She picked up the skewer, and bit into the meat there. It was wonderful, it was cooked perfectly all the way through, and hadn't been allowed to simmer long enough for all the juice to boil out, so Kagami could feel the juice from the meat rushing into her mouth enhancing the flavor. She smiled broadly at Konata who was watching her intently, and said, "It's delicious Konata. Thank you."

Konata's posture and stare became noticeably less tense at this, and if Kagami didn't know better she would say she saw a slight blush on her face. If she had it was gone quickly, and Konata began eating her meal as well. Kagami couldn't help but admire how everything she tasted was delicious, and was very envious at Konata's skill.

After that thought though, she decided that if she had Konata's skill in cooking, she would probably be fat by now since she'd be able to make just about anything into a treat. She gobbled down her fried rice with her chopsticks, occasionally taking breaks from it to grab a piece out of the Oden. Each piece tasted a little different, and Kagami could tell Konata had put a lot of effort into their meal.

She devoured the Yakisoba like it was the greatest thing she had ever tasted, which made Konata secretly happy since she always loved it when people enjoyed her food. That was half the fun of making it. That, and using it to bribe her dad, and maybe Kagami in the future for stuff she wanted or maybe special favors they wouldn't do otherwise.

Kagami finished after a few minutes leaning back with a sigh, and patting her belly like stereotypical American who had just finished a big meal. She looked across at Konata who had just finished as well, but she still had a piece of her Yakitori. She blushed a little as Konata chuckled seeing Kagami looking at it, she said, "What's the matter Kagami, was it not enough? You really are a glutton, aren't you? Oh well, I don't want it to go to waste, so..."

Konata stood up with the plate which had the Yakitori on it, and walked around to Kagami's side. Kagami felt a little uncomfortable as Konata got nearer, and nearer. Finally Konata set the plate down in font of Kagami, but she held the skewer of Yakitori in her hand. Kagami watched as Konata slid the meat off the skewer with the fingers of her left hand.

Konata put her right arm on Kagami's shoulder, and gently pushed her, holding her slightly against the chair, but not in an uncomfortable also leaned in close, and put her right knee in Kagami's lap as she moved in closer. Kagami was blushing at the contact, but couldn't take her eyes from Konata's left hand as she moved the meat closer, and closer to Kagami's face. Kagami opened her mouth as Konata's hand drew near, and accepted the last piece of food. She felt Konata shudder as she lightly licked the tips of Konata's fingers as she took it from Konata's hand with her mouth.


	7. Memory of a Movie!

Author's Note: Okay Guys, sorry if this seems a bit odd because of the flashbacks, but the way I had originally written this it was one massive chapter easily over 12,000 words, so I decided to break it into three parts. I'm currently in the process of editing the other two parts, and will get them up as soon as I can. Thank you all so much for the reviews so far, the advice you've all been giving is really making this story a lot better than I originally thought it would be, so thank you, and keep the reviews and critiques coming. Also just so you know the perspective change of the flashbacks are a little odd, so I helped out by typing them slightly differently.

_Kagami is in Italic_

**Konata is in Bold**_  
_

Chapter 7 Memory of a Movie!

Konata watched Kagami eat the Yakitori, smiling, both girls blushing furiously. Kagami finished, and just stared into Konata's face for a few moments, unable to comprehend what just happened. She felt an urge to pull the smaller girl into an embrace once again, but as she was actually considering it, Konata coughed, and stepped back, breaking her contact with Kagami.

Kagami watched Konata look down at her feet to hide her blush, somehow a blush looked strange on Konata's face, but not necessarily strange in a bad way. Konata said quietly, "Ah-I should go get my bath now."

With that she withdrew from the room leaving a dumbfounded Kagami to ponder what had just happened. Kagami was left, still blushing heavily, and wondering why she had just done what she did. Why had Konata even tried it, she knew Kagami would normally smack her for something like that. She slowly got up, considering what her next action should be, she considered just leaving, and going home, but she knew she'd feel terrible about leaving Konata alone after she had gotten her hopes up for a sleepover.

She slowly started clearing the dishes from the meal, and washing them as she heard the water begin running for Konata's bath upstairs. That was good, at least she had time to think. Kagami couldn't figure out any possible reason for having let Konata feed her, but she did know that lately she had started feeling different around Konata, maybe that had something to do with it.

What had triggered the change in her feelings though? Was it something Konata had said or done? Maybe it had started when they had made that promise. With that Kagami thought back to a few weeks earlier.

It was a day there was no school, and it had been before the storm hit. That day had been sunny, and peaceful, nothing at all like her day had been so far. Tsukasa had gone off with Matsuri somewhere, and Konata had called Kagami asking if she wanted to go out and do something. Kagami had been bored out of her mind, and of course she had accepted.

_Kagami was sitting in front of the television watching some game show where people had to pilot RC Helicopters through an obstacle course, most tries ending in the helicopter being destroyed. She actually wasn't very interested in it, she was just watching it since she had finished her homework, and was already bored out of her mind since Tsukasa was gone, and she didn't feel like studying._

_Kagami flicked through a couple more channels to see if anything interesting was occurring, and she was resisting going for a snack since she had just begun her new diet. She was thinking about going to take a walk, and maybe she would happen across something interesting to do. After a few minutes of debate without finding a reason to not go walking Kagami decided she'd head out the door, and see what she could find._

_Once outside on the sidewalk though the girl was hit with an urge to just go back inside, she couldn't think of a single thing to do out here, and Kagami really wasn't that interested in walking, but for the sake of her new diet lasting longer than Konata had said it would she exerted her willpower, and kept moving. After about five more minutes of walking though it became less of a hassle to keep walking._

_Kagami looked around at the cars and people passing by, and found herself wondering about each of them. What had happened to make that one guy walk with a limp? Where had that girl gotten her shirt? She always ended up doing this when she went walking. Kagami thought about how every person out there had led a completely different life, and she wondered if any of them had led an interesting one._

_She would never tell Konata, but she wondered if maybe one of them was a secret agent, or even some famous actor going incognito. True she felt childish for thinking stuff like that, but she couldn't really help what just popped into her mind at random. Kagami had been out walking for nearly twenty minutes,when her cell phone started up the ring letting her know Konata was calling from her cell phone for some reason._

_She answered on the third ring, saying "Hey Konata."_

_Konata answered immediately, not even bothering to say hello, "Kagami! You're not at your house, where are you! You'd better not be off having fun somewhere without inviting me!"_

_Kagami replied, seeing a good chance to tease, "Well, I tried to call you earlier, and tell you Nagaru Tanigawa was signing light novels and anime today, but I guess you weren't close enough to your cell phone to hear."_

_There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and then an explosion of, "WHAAAAAAT! WHERE! Why did my sources not inform me! I have to get everything ready to bring, I'm gonna need like four boxes, and a truck. Oh man, this is going to be great! Hey Kagami, don't let him leave, handcuff him or something whatever you have to do short of breaking his signing hand."_

_Kagami couldn't help but start laughing at how seriously her friend had taken that, she told Konata, "Hey, calm down, I was only joking."_

_Silence once again greeted Kagami's ear, and then she heard Konata say in a pouting voice, "You shouldn't joke about stuff like that Kagami. I could've died."_

_Kagami answered, "Died? How?"_

_Konata answered, "Grief. If I had missed something like that I would have mourned to death next time I watched Haruhi, and at my funeral you would have been like,'I shouldn't have said such hurtful things to Konata. She was my friend, and I hurt her badly. Maybe it was because of that...she...'"_

"_Don't just give weird monologue's from my perspective Konata, it's creepy.", Kagami said in the middle of Konata's Kagami roleplay._

"_Oh well, so what are you doing Kagami? I already called your house...wait, you're out eating __aren't you? Because there's no one there to cook for you. Am I right?"_

_Kagami's vein pulsed, and she said, "Not even close,for your information I'm actually out walking right now."_

_To which Konata responded, "To burn off the meal you just ate from when you went out eating...because there was no one at home to cook for you?"_

"_Konata. I'll give you one more warning about the wisecracks before I hang up.",said an angry Kagami._

_Konata responded, "Alright Kagamin, I was just calling to see if you and Tsukasa wanted to hang out tonight, there's a couple of things I want to do, and it'd be great if you guys came along. I already invited Miyuki, but halfway through the planning she said something suddenly came up, so she's out."_

_Kagami couldn't help but wonder what the plans were since Miyuki definitely wasn't the type to agree to something, and then bail out. She felt like just saying she was busy, so Konata wouldn't have a chance to involve her in any more of her antics, but she couldn't help but feel bad Konata was all alone. Kagami knew she hated being lonely, so she wouldn't want to put that feeling onto one of her friends._

_Giving in to the softer side of herself she told Konata, "Okay, what are the plans? Also Tsukasa's out with Matsuri, so it's going to be you and me."_

_Konata answered back, "Damn. Oh well, you'll have to do." Kagami's vein pulsed a little further at this before Konata continued,"That's fine, it's been a while since just the two of us hung out anyways, I was thinking about that a couple of days ago."_

_Kagami replied, "Yeah, now that I think about it you're right, it's been a while."_

_There was a moment of silence in which both were lost in memory, but Konata answered back with her exuberance renewed, saying, "Oh Yeah! We can go see the new movie about that killer dentist. He paralyzes people with gases, and then drills into their mouths, and stuff. I heard there's a great twist at the end. I wonder if he's like making the ultimate set of false teeth, but not really false or something."_

_Kagami couldn't help but smile while she answered, "That's completely ridiculous, but you know, with the way horror movies have been written lately, I won't completely exclude it as a possibility."_

_Even as she answered she didn't have the heart to tell Konata why Miyuki had suddenly bailed, just in case Konata hadn't realized the movie choice was what had changed Miyuki's mind. Miyuki probably hadn't had the heart to tell Konata that she was afraid of dentists in general, much less a killer dentist who killed with drills. Miyuki wouldn't have wanted to change Konata's plans since she was already looking forward to it._

_Kagami however was excited at the chance to go see the new movie, and she wouldn't have to worry about Tsukasa being afraid, and having nightmares either since she was out. Kagami then asked Konata, "So is that all we're doing, or did you plan to make a night of it?"_

_Konata answered, "After the movie I wanted to go to the special event at Gamer's, it'll be great."_

_Kagami asked Konata after that, "So what's this special event?"_

_Konata responded, "It's a 'Soo-plize'", with surprise in English with a horrible accent that made her voice sound very deep, almost like a grunt._

_Kagami immediately forgot to ask what it was for real as she cracked up at Konata's horrible English accent._

"_Hey Kagami. What's so funny? I wanna know.", said Konata, honestly wanting to know what Kagami was laughing at._

_Kagami said between fits of laughter, "You...your accent...that was horrible, I mean hilarious...I mean, you really should practice your English more Konata."_

_Konata responded with a more blunt sounding tone indicating to Kagami she had managed to get on her little friend's nerves saying, "It wasn't that bad. Besides, you're the one who needs to give better helping if you want my accent to get better."_

_Kagami ignored that statement since Konata only ever copied her homework, and never actually worked on it. Whatever happened though it sounded like fun._

_Konata said to Kagami, "Just make sure you wear something cute, wait never mind. Just wear what you normally would when you go to the movies."_

_Kagami responded,"Ummm...Okay?"_

_Konata didn't bother to address Kagami's awkward response, saying "Okay then, sounds great! Let's meet up at the theater at 7:15, the movie ends at 8:45, and the stuff at Gamer's starts at 9:30. Sound good to you?"_

_Kagami thought about it, and told Konata, "You know that Gamer's is only like a ten minute walk from the theater right? We're going to have a big downtime between the two."_

_Konata answered, "It'll be alright, we'll think of something."_

_Kagami sighed at her friend's lazy attitude for planning things, but said, "Alright Konata, I'll meet you at the theater later. We really should decide on something to do in the downtime though so we don't end up just sitting around."_

_Konata answered teasingly, "What's the matter Kagamin, are you scared our date won't go perfectly?"_

_Kagami hung up the phone in agitation, and almost immediately received a text message from Konata saying, "HEY! I thought I had one more warning!"_

_Kagami felt a little better about having hung up for that._

Konata settled into the tub, leaning against the back of it, and sinking down to where only her nose, and forehead were above the water, the rest was just pulling in the heat, and relaxing. As great as her body felt right then was about how uncomfortable she felt on the inside. She kept thinking to only a couple minutes before.

She couldn't for the life of her figure out why she had even tried feeding Kagami, and what was up with the way the other girl had accepted it, normally Kagami would have pounded her for trying something like that. She could almost feel Kagamin's soft strong tongue sliding across her fingers again. No. That wasn't the avenue of thought that needed to be explored. Konata needed to figure out why she had suddenly started acting so strangely around Kagami.

Konata knew she had always thought Kagami was pretty, so pretty it pissed her off really badly when she was whining about how she looked. Maybe Konata was starting to like Kagami as more than a friend? She kind of doubted it. She knew old married couples often fought and bickered the way her and Kagami did, but young couples usually didn't make it through that sort of thing. Maybe this was just how you acted towards someone really important. After all, they _had_ made that promise to each other. Konata still wasn't quite used to that.

Thinking back to the day they had made the promise Konata soaked in the tub knowing she was probably going to look like a wrinkly old hag when she got out. She wondered if there was some way she could convince Kagami she had aged rapidly from some weird chemical in the water. She felt a little happier as some of her old self started coming back.

**Konata was getting ready for the movie she was going to go see with Kagami, and then they would have to go to the special competition Gamer's was holding. If she won that, she would get a limited edition set of the Haruhi anime with both seasons. She had to win that no matter what. Also since Kagami would be helping her Konata decided Kagami could borrow it whenever she wanted.**

**Konata looked through her closet trying to decide what to wear. Usually she didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about that sort of thing, but today was different. She needed to look as cute as possible when she was with Kagami today. Finally she decided what to wear. She pulled a pink dress out of her closet.**

**She looked it over as she laid it out flat on her bed. The main bodice of it was pink with light blue fringes on the edges of the sleeves. The dress was a little past knee length, but not long enough that she would be awkward walking around in it. The sleeves would stop just short of her elbows. The next thing she picked out was her hair ornament. She had a few ribbons and rubber bands lying around, but she hardly ever used them.**

**As she thought about it she decided to go get an expert's opinion on what would be cute. So she left her room, and headed down the hall. When she arrived she could hear an odd, knocking noise from the other side of the door like some small object being pounded over and over again. She ignored it since there were other more pressing matters, and leaned in to knock on the door to her father's room. She immediately heard a crashing noise on the other side, and yells of, "Just a minute dear, Daddy's coming."**

**Her father opened the door slowly, but he was panting heavily for some reason and a little sweaty, but she decided it was probably better not to ask what he was doing. Instead she asked her dad, "Hey dad, I'm going out to the movies tonight with my friend, and I want my hair to look cute, I was wondering if I could use one of Mom's old ribbons."**

**Soujiro thought about his daughter's question for a moment before answering loudly, "I FORBID IT! There's no way you're old enough to be going out with boyfriends. Boys are evil Konata, no matter how nice they seem, they'll tell you all sorts of things to get you to do what they want. I know, why when your mom and I were younger I..."**

**He trailed off at that, perhaps seeming to realize for once how awkward his daughter had become, she answered back at him, "Dad, you should never say weird things like that. Besides I'm not going out on a date with some boy, it's with Kagami, so I need to look my cutest."**

**Konata thought her dad looked surprised for a moment after her sentence, but it must have been her imagination because he started smiling in a spaced out sort of way. He then looked down at her, and smiled even bigger. He just kept staring for nearly a minute.**

**Konata looked up at her dad, a little afraid of what he might be thinking, but she said to him, "Hey dad. About those ribbons?"**

**Soujiro quickly perked up, and grabbed his daughter around the waist, lifting her, and spinning her like she was a five year old, and said, "Don't worry Konata, we'll make sure you're looking as cute as you can before your date with Kagami. Kanata had tons of ribbons in every color, so let's see, Kagami was the lavender haired one right? Wait there were two of those, they were twins. I wonder if they ever sleep in the same, wait. There are more important matters at hand."**

**Konata felt a little embarrassed even though there was no one around. She knew she was weird, but her dad was on a whole other level. Still, he had always been nice and understanding of her, and she loved him anyways. She was set down, and Soujiro immediately began looking through his closet until he found a small box that looked like a miniature dresser. Konata was surprised it wasn't dusty at all, she absentmindedly wondered if her dad cleaned it every day mourning his lost love. No way, there's no way her dad was that sweet.**

**He opened the drawers one by one showing Konata some of her mother's old things like earrings, bracelets, and of course her ribbon collection was beautiful. One in particular called out to Konata. It was a very light shade of purple, and as Konata lifted it up it was very silky to the touch. As she brought the beautiful ribbon closer to her something fell out of the carefully wrapped bundle of cloth.**

**It was a ring. The ring was small, like it was meant for a child. It was gold, and had a very beautiful, but small diamond embedded in the top. She thought she could see some sort of engraving on the bottom below the diamond, but her father quickly scooped the ring up, saying, "Hah, so THAT'S where that went. I've been looking for it for a while now. Good choice on the ribbon by the way. It's almost the color of Kagami's hair, I think it'll match you nicely too."**

**Soujiro knelt behind Konata who was on her knees holding the ribbon, and delicately picked it up out of his daughter's hands. He then lifted her hair, and began dexterously wrapping the ribbon through Konata's hair. When he had finished in less than a minute there was a big bow on Konata's head, and the ribbon was wrapping her hair tightly in four places where her hair flowed through the holes, and into one big ponytail.**

**Konata stood up, and examined it in the mirror, and saw how perfect it was. She was surprised her father had this sort of skill, but this wasn't the first time he had surprised her with something like this. Such as the time he properly prepared her for that festival she had gone to with her friends. Konata headed out of his room calling out an excited, "Thank you, Daddy!"**

**Konata excitedly put on her dress lacing up the blue strings in the back that matched her hair. She also put on little shoes that matched the dress. She loved how she looked, and knew with Kagami she would definitely win. It wasn't long before she had to leave, she couldn't help but be excited at what the night would hold for her.**

Kagami was now done with the dishes, and Konata still wasn't finished bathing. She still wasn't sure what to think. Lately her and Konata had been really close to each other, and Kagami was really happy about it, but at the same time she was scared. The taller girl had started noticing certain things about Konata that made her uncomfortable, and it wasn't the sort of things that actually _should_ make her uncomfortable around Konata, like the way she was a total pervert, and anime fanatic.

Instead she felt uncomfortable seeing the cute way Konata smiled when she was giving a thumbs up. Kagami's heart skipped a beat anytime she heard the word 'Tsundere', only thinking about Konata when she heard it. Konata's voice was in her mind constantly, saying random and stupid things that made Kagami smile.

Kagami was sitting in the same chair Konata had fed her in, she felt like just sobbing to let out all the stress, and she put her feet in the chair, holding her knees, preparing to do just that, when suddenly she gasped. As she had grabbed her knees she could feel Konata's touch on her shoulder for a moment. It was gone now, replaced by a little anger, and what Kagami found most disturbing was the longing to have it back. She mumbled, "Stupid Konata."

Kagami once again let her mind wander back to that promise, wondering if it was really the cause of all of this.

_Kagami was walking towards the movie theater looking for Kona. There were still about ten minutes left before the scheduled meeting time, and Kagami figured Konata would be late anyways. She wondered if Konata had thought of anything for their downtime before they went to Gamer's, Kagami also wondered what kind of event was going on._

_The Lavender haired girl made her way through the crowd of people seeming to have to stop at every cross-section, and wait on traffic to clear before going across, but she knew it seemed like that every time you were anxious to get somewhere. Kagami had actually secretly been dying to come see this movie since it came out. Kagami was also was happy to be spending some time with Konata away from the other two who were always in their group._

_They hardly ever got to hang out by themselves, but it seemed Kagami was alone with Miyuki after student council meetings every other day. She always spent time with Tsukasa since they lived in the same house, and went to the same school, and even had pretty much the same homework. Her and Konata though, it seemed like maybe once every month or so they got to hang out, and just do what they wanted without the other two. It hardly ever seemed like it when they were all talking as a group, but Konata and Kagami had really similar tastes in a lot of things. So they always enjoyed what they did when they went to hang out since there was rarely any need for a concession on either of their parts._

_Finally after clearing some of the crowd she spotted the theater. Kagami unconsciously began to hurry a little, and as she approached it she could hear a familiar voice shouting, "WAAAH! Excuse me! Hey come on, quit blocking already!"_

_She smiled as she pictured little Konata trying to struggle through the crowd, most of the people out and about today would hardly even notice her. She thought if it wasn't for that blue hair they might not even see her at all. As the crowd parted though, and she actually glimpsed Konata though, she couldn't help but feel her jaw sag a little. She was literally gaping. She couldn't believe her eyes._

_Konata finally managed to get out of the flow trying to pull her down the sidewalk past the theater. As she stepped out, she had no idea Kagami was watching her. She was wearing a very pretty pink dress, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail with a perfect bow formed from a beautiful, expensive looking ribbon Kagami could only wish she had the likes of in her collection. Konata's cute little pink shoes revealed just how tiny her feet actually were. Not to mention the adorable confused look on her face as she frantically scanned the crowd for Kagami, looking worried that Kagami might not have shown up._

_Kagami's mind was screaming, "CUUUUUUUTE!"_

_A couple of other people also stopped to look at Konata, she seemed really out of place. Like a beautiful princess from a fairy tale just dropped in the city street. Kagami had never seen her wearing clothes like that before, and it took nearly two minutes to gain her composure, and go approach Konata, before some guy with a Lolita complex could grab her._

_Kagami called out before she reached Konata so that Kona would have a little time to gather herself, but as Konata looked over at Kagami her cat smile appeared, and Kagami felt the urge to just turn around, and go the other way. It wouldn't be so bad to go see a different movie, but her legs kept moving despite her thoughts, and she found herself standing in front of Konata who was chuckling about something._

_After a few seconds of Konata suppressing her laughter, Kagami started to grow annoyed, and asked, "What is it?"_

_Konata finally burst out, unable to hold it back, "Hahaha! Your outfit! Ha! You actually wore that!"_

_Now Kagami was really pissed, "MY OUTFIT! You're the one who shows up looking like some princess straight out of a Disney movie."_

_Konata chuckled a little more at that, and then said, "Yeah, but really? Who wears a hat with pigtails?"_

_Kagami could feel her blood pressure rising the longer she stood around Konata sometimes, it seemed like this was going to be one of those times. She thought her outfit was just fine for going to the movies with your friends. It wasn't like she was dressed up trying to attract a boyfriend or anything. Just going out with your friends for fun meant you wore something comfortable, and that's what she had done._

_She was wearing a brown button up coat, buttoned up to two spots below the collar button. Leaving the blue and white striped T-shirt underneath exposed a little at the top. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, and a hat with the bill facing forward that Konata had given her for her birthday a while ago. Her pigtails were tied with blue ribbons today, and the field above the bill of the hat had Kulilin written on it. There was nothing at all wrong with her outfit._

_Even so she decided to drop it, and just asked Konata, "What's with the dress anyways?"_

_Konata grinned at her friend, and said, "I wore it so we could look cute together Kagamiiin."_

_Kagami blushed a little at that, but decided not to push it since it would probably just end in further embarrassment for herself since her little friend never seemed to get embarrassed. She checked her cell phone to see that the movie would be starting soon, and so Kagami urged Konata into line. The line was moving quickly, and soon they were up to buy their tickets. As Kagami went to pull her wallet from her coat pocket, Konata stopped her, and said, "Don't worry about it Kagami, I got it."_

_Kagami answered, "Oh are you sure?"_

_Konata said as she was approaching the window to buy the tickets, "Yeah it's no problem. I can afford the movie since I've been working."_

_Kagami smiled, she hadn't expected Konata to be treating her, but if it would make Konata happy, and help Kagami's own savings she couldn't see a problem with it. Konata bought the tickets, and they headed inside with ten minutes left before the movie started. There were people lined up in the lobby buying snacks and stuff to eat through the movie._

_They walked through the lobby, and Kagami noticed Konata eying some candy in a vending machine. She decided since Konata had treated her to the movie, she may as well do something nice for Kona in return. So she approached the vending machine readying her wallet, while Konata who made booming noises with each of Kagami's steps towards the machine, called out to her, "OH NO It's in her sights!", but Kagami didn't bother to get embarrassed or angry. She knew Konata was just teasing, and she had already made up her mind to enjoy the time spent here. She slipped in a couple of coins, then pressed two buttons, and out came the gummy candies Konata had been looking at._

_Kagami walked back over to Konata, and handed her the gummies, saying, "Here you go, I saw you looking at them, and figured it's the least I could do since you paid for the movie.", then Kagami turned away, and began walking towards the theater calling back, "Come on Konata! They're already seating!"_

Konata stood up, and stepped out of the bath, and then stooped, and began draining it. Once the water was flowing down the drain, she decided she would get dressed. She put on some anime print underwear, and a pair of shorts that went to her knees. Then Konata put on a blue tank top shirt. Instead of leaving to see Kagami though. She pulled out a small stool she usually sat on when scrubbing herself, and sat on it thinking.

Konata was a little afraid to face Kagami after what had happened. She didn't know how Kagami would be acting after this. Konata trembled a little as she thought of Kagami leaving. She was past the point of caring about the sleepover, but she didn't think she could handle it if Kagami didn't want to be around her anymore.

Konata felt stupid for allowing herself to get down that line of thought. After all, hadn't she told Kagami earlier that she never doubted her friends? Thinking Kagami would break their promise was an insult to their friendship itself. Konata had her mind made up. She was going to face Kagami as soon as her legs stopped trembling because she was contemplating what Kagami was going to hit her with first.

**Konata watched Kagami walk away from her, glad the taller girl couldn't see the blush on her face. She felt really stupid. She had made fun of Kagami when she was only trying to be nice to Konata. She'd have to think of a way to make it up to Kagami, but in the meantime if she didn't get moving, she knew it'd look weird, so Konata followed after Kagami calling, "HEY! Wait up! I can't get through the crowd as easily as you!"**

**Kagami paused, and waited on Konata to catch up before they joined the seating line filing back into the movie hall where they selected the theater printed on their tickets. Konata looked around in wonder at some of the old movie posters they had hanging up everywhere, wishing she had some of them for her own room.**

**Konata kept close to Kagami, afraid they'd be unable to find each other before the movie started if they were separated. When she felt the crowd dividing, and herself being pulled away from Kagami she was worried for a moment, but she managed to grab on to Kagami's arm just in time to avoid being taken down the wrong hallway.**

**Kagami looked down at Konata who had grabbed her arm, and smiled when she realized what had happened, remarking, "I keep forgetting how easily you can get pulled away since you're so small Konata. "**

**Konata felt pretty annoyed at having her height pointed out, but couldn't think of a good comeback so she just kept walking. She got even more annoyed when Kagami chuckled because Konata didn't let go of her arm in order to avoid being pulled off in some other direction.**

**They reached their theater soon, and went in, trying to decide which seats to get, Kagami wanted to sit somewhere in the back, but Konata said, "No way! The best seats for this movie are always on the fourth row from the front, right in the middle. You can almost feel the blood spray from there, but you're not so close you can't focus on the entire screen."**

**Kagami lightly teased Konata saying, "You're the only one who would have a science developed for deciding which movie theater seats to take."**

**The lights began darkening as soon as Kagami agreed to sit where Konata wanted. Kagami led the way since she could part the crowd for Konata faster, and Konata just kept close on her heels slipping through the gaps the bigger girl created. They made their way to the seats, happy it wasn't covered in popcorn, and the floor wasn't sticky with spilled soda, and left behind candy.**

**They sat down in the middle of the row, and were surprised when the coming attractions started up that they were the only ones on their row. There were a couple people sitting in the row ahead of them, but most people had opted to sit further back like Kagami had wanted to. There was always a half hour of previews before a movie started, but at least this time it had some good previews. There would be a new action movie coming in soon that Kagami had been on the edge of her seat looking at.**

**After that was some romantic comedy between an Otaku girl, and an overly serious man that looked like it could pretty good. Then came the announcement of a new anime movie that got Konata all hyped up, and cheering loudly about until Kagami quieted her down blushing even though noone in the theater knew them.**

**Finally the movie started, and Konata relaxed back into her seat, opening up her candy that Kagami had bought her, and decided to give Kagami the first one as a sort of apology for earlier. Kagami accepted the first candy, but Konata was a little disappointed that Kagami didn't notice the kind gesture since she never took her eyes away from the screen.**

**Kagami was the type who analyzed every point of the movie, and compared it to other movies, and her own knowledge in order to try and guess what would happen next, and more often than not, she could usually know the ending of a movie before it ended. Konata however was the type who got completely wrapped up in the movie. Jumping at surprising parts, and yelling, "MAN! Did you see that!", whenever the dentist got his next victim.**

**After each murder the dentist collected the victim's teeth, and Konata actually began to wonder if she was right about the false teeth thing, but since he had way more teeth than necessary, maybe he was making a set for a shark or something.**

**In one particular scene halfway through the movie, a woman was strapped into a dental chair in a rusty, and bloody room. There were nasty dental instruments scattered around the room, and the woman was obviously terrified. She began struggling against the leather restraints on the chair, but to no avail. She tried to scream, but it was muffled by a leather strap feeding a piece of wood into her mouth as a gag.**

**The Dentist then enters the room, saying calmly, "Hello Miss Takahara. It would seem that you've neglected proper care lately, so I had to book you for an emergency appointment."**

**He pulled a small flashlight from his green coat, and examined the woman up and down. He put the light right up to her eyes, watching the pupils dilate, and making a clicking noise with his tongue. He said to her, "How unfortunate, it looks like that'll have to come out."**

**The woman tried to scream, and was in obvious pain, and crying while the dentist used some sort of device to hold the woman's left eye open, and scooped it out with a curved wooden object as she started hyperventilating and screaming as best she could against the gag. As the Dentist took a small razor blade, and sawed through the mess connecting her eye to her head, Konata felt pressure on her shoulder, and looked over to see Kagami burying her face into Konata's shoulder.**

**Konata hadn't been expecting it, and blushed a little at the sudden contact. She thought about teasing Kagami, but remembered how dumb she had felt earlier, and decided to just let it go, besides, Kagami looked pretty cute when she was like this. Konata actually felt a little proud of herself for a moment as she thought, "HA! She feels like I could protect her! I must be even more awesome than I thought! Besides that, I could be triggering a serious flag right now. "**

**The gross execution scene went into ridiculous detail and gore, and by the end of it Konata herself was starting to feel a little sick, but she didn't let on for Kagami's sake forcing herself to say, "Cool!, or "Awesome!", every time the dentist took a new piece off of the woman.**

**The police are steadily closing in on the dentist during this scene, and are preparing to take him down not knowing he's in the middle of another execution. They bust into an old warehouse, and get down into an underground area of it via trapdoor. Whenever they find the body though, the Dentist is long gone, tipped off by some unmentioned security measure probably.**

**The police look in disgust at the body of the woman who is still barely hanging onto life, and as they ungag her, she tries to tell them the dentist's name as best she can with no teeth, and with the tip of her tongue missing. When she fails to speak the name coherently, she writes it in her own blood, and dies.**

**It doesn't take much police work to find out the killer is the woman's old dentist. He had had his practicing license taken for malpractice a few years before, and not long after that he had ended up in an asylum suffering from a serious case of schizophrenia. Apparently causing him delusions, and he still thought he was a normal dentist.**

**In the final scene of the movie, the heroine detective finds the Dentist's hideout, and bursts in on him doing an operation on his daughter. The dentist attacks her, while saying in a calm voice, "This is a very serious operation, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave Ma'am."**

**He shouts for security even as he's attacking her with a handheld power drill, and of course the detective's gun jams on her. The dentist manages to get his drill into the heroine's arm, causing Konata to gasp quickly, thinking maybe the ending wasn't going to be happy after all, but the woman pulls a scalpel from a table she's pinned against, and slits the doctor's throat with a quick motion. **

**He never reacts to the cut until he dies from blood loss, and continues drilling into the woman's arm. As soon as the dentist dies, the lights begin flickering, and a mirror on the other side of the operation room bursts for no reason.**

**Then the scene goes black. The police burst into the operation room an unknown amount of time later, and find the dentist's daughter still strapped to the chair she was in with instruments holding her mouth open. She has been dead for days. On examination of her mouth they find teeth implanted in every possible surface on the inside of the mouth. Covering the gums, the roof, the tongue, and even the cheeks.**

**The heroine up to this point is gone, but the police notice something odd. All of the dental instruments have been removed from the place, and the dead Dentist's body found on the ground not too far from his daughter is missing its' teeth.**

**The last shot of the movie is a shot of the dentist's empty, bloodied mouth from where his teeth had been forcibly ripped out. Then the credits started rolling. Kagami now let go of Konata, and shouted at the screen, "What kind of ending was that! They didn't explain anything at all!"**

**Konata couldn't help but smile at her friend's behavior. She loved it when something defied all of Kagami's logic, and of course she reacted by getting angry at it. Even with Kagami's anger though her temper didn't last long. She sat back down next to Konata, and looked at her. Then Kagami said, "Man, that movie was more intense than I thought it was going to be."**

**Konata thought Kagami looked like she was going to puke. That last scene had been pretty gory. They hadn't skimped on the special effects budget in this movie. Konata herself felt pretty squeamish picturing the mouth filled with all those different teeth carefully implanted into the girl.**

**She shuddered real quick, imagining how much it must suck to be in that situation. Then she stood up, and offered her hand to Kagami, who gladly accepted the help standing up, and they filed out of the movie theater a little behind the rest of the crowd. Luckily there was an exit right by the theater they were in, so they didn't have to fight through the crowd again to exit the building.**

**Once they exited they were greeted by the cool night air. Konata shivered a little since her dress didn't provide much in the way of warmth. It wasn't freezing outside though, so she could handle being a little cold until the stuff at Gamer's started up. That was going to be pretty fun, and she was really hoping to win that prize.**

**Konata and Kagami quickly found a bench to sit on where they began discussing the movie they had just watched, and talking about the parts they had liked. The gore had been much more realistic than either of them had thought it would be, but now that it wasn't in their face grossing them out they chatted excitedly about how gross it had been. That got them on the subject of how they did the realistic effects like that. Kagami and Konata weren't sure, but Konata said she was going to ask Miyuki the next she saw her.**


	8. Memory of a Promise!

Author's Note moved to bottom for those interested.

* * *

Chapter 8 Memory of a Promise!

Kagami couldn't help but smile a little remembering how much fun her and Konata had on that day. Even if they hadn't made any promises to each other then, it would have still been an important day to Kagami just because of the time they spent together happily.

Kagami still wasn't ready to let go of her knees yet, she was still feeling shaky, and nervous about how Konata would act when she came down. She had already made up her mind to forgive Konata since she hadn't been forced to accept the feeding in any way. Kagami still couldn't understand why she had accepted it though.

Maybe since her and Konata had become so much closer in the last couple weeks, her feelings for the shorter girl were growing. For an embarrassing moment Kagami considered that maybe she wanted more from Konata than friendship, but she quickly pushed that thought aside. She wasn't into girls, she had always dreamed some guy would come along, and ask her out, or admit secret feelings for her, held back for the longest time.

Kagami kept on smiling. She was sure Konata would come down with some dumb joke, and then Kagami would get angry at her, and then everything would get better. Just like it always did.

_Kagami rested on a bench under a street light, chatting happily with Konata. She was now really happy she had come along, and after they had such a great time watching the movie, she found herself looking forward to whatever event it was that Gamer's was holding, as she was sure her and Kona were going to have fun with whatever it was._

_A sudden loud grumble announced to the world that Kagami was hungry though, and she blushed as Kona flashed a knowing grin, saying, "Wow Kagami, you're really dedicated. I'm having a hard time even thinking about food after seeing that movie, but you're still rearing to go for a meal."_

_Kagami responded, "Sh-shut up! I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, besides a couple pieces of that candy, and I was out walking earlier, that's probably why I'm so starved."_

_Konata looked her friend directly in her eyes, still grinning, and said,"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty hungry too. Now that I think about it, I haven't slept in two nights since I've been trying to beat this new RPG I got, and didn't have much of a breakfast either, I could go for something, you wanna find a place to eat?"_

_Kagami inwardly wondered how the smaller girl could have so much energy. Kagami didn't think she could stay up for two nights, and then go out, and do everything they had done so far. She'd be dead on her feet if she did._

_Still, Kagami was glad Konata wasn't pushing too hard tonight, she was having fun, and didn't want it ruined by Konata teasing her about her weight. She said to Konata, wanting a little revenge despite not wanting the argument to continue,"Yeah, we'll look around carefully for a place where you don't need a stool to place your order."_

_Kagami smiled a little as she noticed Konata was taken by surprise at the remark, and grumbled under her breath something Kagami couldn't make out. Kagami called success when Konata didn't enter her teasing mode again though, and she stood up, and began looking around. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from around here as they were in pretty high demand around all the recreational stuff in this area._

_They quickly chose a place where they could get a good meal. Walking into the orange tiled fast food restaurant right across the road from where they had been sitting. Konata trailed along behind her instead of walking beside her as usual. Kagami figured Konata just hadn't realized she didn't need Kagami to part a crowd for her anymore, and hadn't thought about just walking beside her._

_Kagami was a little thankful the place was empty as she got a little self conscious about ordering, and eating a meal when there were a whole lot of people around. She knew it was dumb, but she couldn't help but feel like they were watching her. It made her uncomfortable thinking they were all watching her weight for some reason._

_She ordered a hamburger, and a medium side of fries, and a Coca-Cola since that was her favorite soda. Konata got a 20 piece box of chicken nuggets, and a side of fries as well, but Konata got a root beer to drink. On their way to their table Konata stopped, and grabbed way more ketchup packets than she actually needed, just like she always did. They sat in a corner table facing each other, and chatting only a little as they ate since they were both pretty hungry._

_Kagami quickly finished her burger, and started on her fries, they were a little too salty for her normal tastes, but they still tasted pretty good. She happened to glance up at Kona who still hadn't finished the first part of her meal. She saw Konata pick up a chicken nugget, and grip it with both hands, like a hamburger. She then bit into it, and only bit off half of it instead of just popping the whole nugget into her mouth._

_Kagami giggled as she saw this habit of Konata's, causing Konata to look up quizzically, asking, "Hey, what's so funny?"_

_Kagami answered, "That's a cute way to eat Konata, I'm surprised I never noticed it before."_

_Konata looked at Kagami for a moment in confusion, and then she grinned, and said, "Oh? Does Kagamin think I'm cute?"_

_At the end of the sentence she batted her eyelashes at Kagami, causing Kagami to blush with her forwardness. "Geez," Kagami thought to herself, "She doesn't even care we're in public, and still makes remarks like that."_

_Kagami told Konata, "Don't just say weird stuff like that Konata. Don't you have any shame?"_

_Konata then reached out quickly, and grasped Kagami's hand, squeezing lightly. Kagami felt odd as she met Konata's eyes right then. Konata answered her question saying, "I don't know, why don't you tell me?"_

_Kagami blushed deeply, and then blushed even deeper when she noticed the man who had taken their order at the counter looking over at them holding hands. She broke the contact quickly, feeling anger coming in at Konata embarrassing her in public like this. She quickly raised her fist, and brought it down on Konata's head, trying to both show her anger, and remain quiet, "So, was your fun worth it?"_

_Konata rubbed her head, thinking she could feel a lump rising, she said in a pouting manner at Kagami, "Ow, hey. Isn't that a little harsh? it was all in good pun." Konata snickered at the end of her sentence, and Kagami smiled, now realizing Konata's jokes, but still feeling a little uncomfortable thinking there could be something more behind Konata's banter._

_Konata didn't spend much longer finishing her meal up, and by the time they finished there were only fifteen minutes remaining until everything started happening at Gamer's, so they started heading in that direction. Kagami couldn't help but wonder what was happening that Konata was so excited about. She also wondered if Konata's cute dress had anything to do with it._

_They headed out of the restaurant, and started making their way towards Gamer's which took slightly less than ten minutes, just as Kagami had predicted. It was obvious something was going on as soon as it came into sight due to the people crowding around it. Not just any people though, these people seemed to give off an aura of just...weirdness to Kagami._

_Also she noticed there seemed to be a lot more girls here than usual, but she figured they had most likely just been drawn away from their computers by the lure of a special event just like Konata had been._

_Now in her element, Konata took the lead, and Kagami followed feeling awkward as a few of the people gave them stares. A few giving very strange reactions as Kagami and Konata passed. Some facepalmed, some looked genuinely angry ,Kagami wasn't at all sure what was going on, but she knew it was creeping her out._

_Still, she kept close behind Konata who led them over to a table where she filled out a couple of papers, and was rewarded with a ticket that had a number on it. It would seem Konata had made it just in the nick of time. When she got her ticket back a woman explained that while the event started two minutes from then, registration also closed at that time. Konata was the last person to fill out a registration._

_The woman behind the table gave Konata a big smile, and then she looked at Kagami, and winked at her. Then the woman took her leave of the registration table. Leaving Kagami to wonder what that wink had been about. Had the woman been hitting on her? Kagami shuddered a little, noticing other people were giving them weird looks. Everything about these people was foreign and weird to Kagami._

_At least Konata was happy though. She was holding up the ticket with her number on it, and cheering loudly. Kagami couldn't help but facepalm when a couple people actually joined in doing the same thing. Whatever was going on, Konata seemed to be having a blast, so Kagami made up her mind to try and enjoy it even if she couldn't understand it._

Konata now put the stool away, and exited the bathroom. She paused for a minute, her resolve weakening as she pictured Kagami wielding some sort of physical incarnation of the Banhammer, that just erases people from existence. She didn't think Kagami was going to leave, but she was pretty sure Kagami was pissed, and she was scary when she got like that.

Konata crept down the stairs slowly, and peered around the corner, hoping to spot Kagami before she herself was spotted. She really wished she had some Octo-Camo right then, but she knew it wasn't going to happen.

Konata spotted Kagami right where she had left her. Still in the same chair although the table was cleared, and there was a stack of dishes drying in the drain. Kagami was holding her knees. She looked pretty sad. Which made Konata feel bad since she couldn't stand when her friends were sad.

Konata tensed her arms up, and went rigid expecting blows to come after what she said, even though she had no idea what she was going to say to Kagami. As she spoke though, all she could think about was their promise. Konata knew deep down that because of that, everything would turn out just fine, even if moderately painful.

**Konata was really excited, this was the time she had been waiting for all day. The reason she had dressed up all cute, and hoped desperately Kagami would dress up very similar to how she had indeed dressed up. She had had fun, and everything was going perfectly today, she could almost taste her prize. For some reason after the movie, and meal with Kagami though, most of her energy was drained. Sure she hadn't slept for two nights, but she figured she could keep going until she got home at least off of excitement alone. Besides that, she would need to stay up late watching Haruhi again after all this was over.**

**Konata looked over at her taller companion, and noticed she didn't look very excited. She knew Kagami didn't understand this sort of thing, but still, the other girl could still try and have fun. Konata tried to spark some conversation by saying, "Wow, look how nicely everyone's dressed up."**

**Kagami looked around for a minute, and then replied to Konata, "Yeah, all the girls here are wearing really cute outfits. I sort of feel like I under dressed."**

**Konata smirked at her friend. Kagami was feeling like she wasn't as pretty as some of the other girls because of her outfit. Seeing the perfect chance to make up for the vending machine incident earlier, Konata said to Kagami, "Yeah, I bet they're all jealous of you though. I gotta admit Kagami, at first I thought the hat with pigtails was funny, but you're looking really cute yourself right now."**

**Konata saw Kagami blush a little, and she responded, "What did I just tell you about those weird remarks in public? You want another lump?"**

**Konata feigned fear since she knew Kagami wasn't really angry, and said, "OOOO feeling feisty Kagamin? Just keep your natural killer instinct in check until after we leave. I think you'd be more embarrassed from the scene of stepping away from knocking me out than anything I could start up."**

**Konata saw a little vein appear on Kagami's forehead letting her know Kagami was good and angry, but she felt her teasing could be allowed now since she had made up for the dumb teasing earlier. Konata started moving through the crowd towards the far edge of the room. The event would be starting in a few minutes. She saw the cameras being readied. **

**She took one of the seats over on the edge of the room, and Kagami quickly took the seat beside her. A few minutes later the loud chatting finally died down, and the lights darkened in the room. Konata noticed Kagami examining the other people all around them. She was looking a little confused, and Konata thought she could see worry on Kagami's face.**

**Kagami was definitely starting to get nervous, and Konata was really hoping the taller girl wouldn't go all overboard, and have a panic attack or anything. As she thought that though, she started feeling kind of nervous herself. She knew she would soon be in the brightly lit area on the other end of the room, that everyone was now watching expectantly.**

**Another two minutes passed before the woman who had been doing registration came out wearing a beautiful red dress. She was holding a microphone, and as she spoke her voice came from speakers that had been set up just for this event. **

**The woman bowed, and began speaking, "Hello out there everyone! I'm the host in charge of the gathering here tonight. It's great to see all of you! I hope you're fired up, and looking your best, because the competition will be starting in five minutes. As you know we're here to gather the cutest Otaku couples , and use their pictures in order to promote a new romantic anime series that's coming out soon. So the pictures of the winning couple will be used in the advertising, what a great thing to have signifying your love for each other, right? When your number is called, you, and your partner will proceed to the lighted area. We will demonstrate the pose to be taken before the competition starts. I will be one of three judges for the competition, and we will each give a numerical score to each couple. Once your score has been given, proceed off to the right, and return to your seat while the next couple enters from the left. At the end one winner will win the Haruhi collector's box set. Containing both seasons of the anime, as well as a special container of which only one-hundred were made. Those one-hundred containers for the box set were sent to one-hundred different stores, meaning if you don't win it here, you'll probably never get another chance to get it, so look great, and work hard everyone!"**

**Konata's instincts told her there was something very dangerous in the room with them. She couldn't quite place where it was though, but she knew if it got the drop on her, that she might not make it out of this competition alive. She looked around, and met Kagami's death glare. She shrunk back against her seat for a moment, thinking Kagami actually meant to harm her. **

**Kagami's face was all red, but Konata couldn't tell if it was embarrassment at finding out this was a couples competition, or fury. No strikes came, and Konata was sure Kagami was trying to tell Konata how much she loathed her, but couldn't speak through her anger. **

**Kagami took a deep breath, and very quietly told Konata, "I should of known you would do something like this Konata. You're always ruining what would otherwise be a perfectly good time. You can forget it though, there's no way I'm doing this."**

**Konata nearly panicked when she heard that. Kagami couldn't bail on her now! Not when they were so close. She pleaded with Kagami, holding on to the other girl's arm to stop her from moving, "No! Please stay Kagami! I'll do anything, I'll stop calling you Tsundere, I'll do my own homework...sometimes, you have to see how important this is!"**

**Kagami still looked angry, but she stopped her motions to leave. She looked like she was struggling with some huge internal debate, which lasted three minutes into the beginning of the competition. Then finally she sighed, and said, "Fine. If it's that important to you I'll do it. You owe me big though. One day If I ask you a really big favor that you really, really don't want to do, you had better shut up and do it anyways, got me?"**

**Konata perked up significantly, and hugged Kagami tightly saying repeatedly, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Thank you!"**

**Kagami said to her, "I can't believe I'm actually going through with this. Also you still owe me even if we don't win this prize."**

**Konata smiled at her friend's embarrassment. She was glad Kagami wasn't leaving though. She settled back into her seat, and watched how the other competitors were posing. She mentally took notes on what the judges seemed to be eying, and started considering how she could get a higher score.**

**She looked over at Kagami for a moment who seemed to be doing the same thing. She looked really intense, and was muttering some stuff under her breath that noone other than herself would be able to understand. Not wanting to break Kagami's concentration, Konata went back to her own studying.**

**Konata noticed that when really cute couples made their way into the lighted areas, and posed there were many guys in the crowd taking pictures of them also. She had sort of expected that since most of these guys did that sort of stuff anyways, why would they not bring their cameras where already cute girls were going to try and be looking as best they could?**

**The nervousness set in as a number only ten away from theirs was announced. Konata could feel her stomach tightening. She hadn't expected to be really nervous about this sort of thing after working in a cosplay cafe', but she was getting tense regardless. Konata looked over at Kagami, and was surprised to find her already looking at Konata. She was blushing quite heavily.**

**Konata asked, "Hey, what's the matter Kagami? Is it too much?"**

**Konata desperately hoped Kagami wasn't about to choke, but she didn't think she would stop Kagami, since she was also mildly considering bailing from the nervousness she was feeling. Her stomach started feeling upset all of a sudden, reminding her of the movie she had watched earlier, that didn't help ease her tension.**

**Kagami asked Konata, still blushing, "Hey...they're not going to be spreading word that we're...you know..."**

**Kagami trailed off at that, but Konata understood. Kagami was still blushing because she thought people were going to think they were dating. As the number right before theirs was called, they both rose, and started towards where they would walk into the light from. They would be the last couple to go up. On their way Konata explained to Kagami, "No way. You don't really think these cute girls are dating the guys they're with do you? They just want the prize, so they chose the cutest guy they could who still was into anime, and decided to go on with them."**

**Kagami was really obviously relieved at this, she probably hadn't considered that all of these people hadn't really been couples, even though quite a few of the pairings must of struck her as odd. **

**Finally their number was called, and they linked arms, and walked to where they were supposed to. They stood side by side with Konata leaning her head over against Kagami's shoulder. The red light on the main camera came on, and then there was a bright flash as a secondary photographer flashed a photo from a different angle from the main camera.**

**The flashes nearly blinded Konata. Her stomach was completely knotted up from her nervousness too. More people began standing up flashing photos, and soon nearly every guy in the hall was taking pictures. She could hear a girl in the audience saying, "Yuri couple, why didn't I think of that!"**

**The flashes were adding to Konata's nervousness, she involuntarily found herself gripping Kagami's arm with her other arm, and trying to hide her face on Kagami's shoulder as she started blushing uncontrollably. She didn't understand what was happening, this wasn't what she had thought it was going to be like. She suddenly realized she was terrified. She just wanted to run away from the people causing the flashes.**

**She pleaded in her mind since she couldn't form words, "Kagami...help..."**

**Then Kagami was standing in front of her, yelling, "Hey! Cut that out! Can't you see she's scared! What did I say! Drop the camera, or I'll break it!"**

**Konata felt hot all over, she couldn't breathe, then everything went black.**

Kagami looked up at Konata as the smaller girl entered the kitchen. Her embarrassment over the whole incident starting to return now that Konata was back in front of her. Once again she felt like she should just run away, but she killed that thought as soon as it appeared. She was here, and she was going to stay over, and have fun at the sleepover no matter what happened in the next few seconds.

Konata was looking at her feet, apparently trying to think of some sort of excuse for what she had done. She was really tensed up, as she said, "Uhhhh...Was that Yakitori finger lickin' good Kagamin?"

Konata's nervous tone made the attempted joke fall flat.

Kagami felt her anger boil up, she really wanted to let Konata have a piece of her mind. Even though Konata had come down, and made a dumb joke, just like she had predicted. Kagami was both embarrassed and angry the girl wasn't normal enough to understand she shouldn't make dumb jokes about stuff like that. Still, she was glad Konata was still Konata, Kagami found herself hoping the smaller girl never changed.

Kagami stood up, and Konata shrunk back a little, she looked ready to bolt. Kagami knew why Konata was nervous, but she had no intention of hitting Konata. Kagami moved in close, and put her left hand on her little friend's shoulder.

Kagami smiled while thinking about her friend, and the softer, fragile side she never let anyone other than Kagami see in her.

That really brought her back to that day.

_Kagami was resting on a bench, most of the way back to Konata's house. The Haruhi Box set stored carefully in the shoulder bag it had come in. Konata sat beside her, snoozing peacefully. Kagami had been terrified when Konata had first passed out, but it only took a second glance to realize once she had fainted, she had just gone into normal sleep._

_The cameras had stopped flashing when Konata fell, and the female judge who had also been the host, and registration lady rushed onto the stage to check on Konata, telling Kagami, "If she was this frightened, you really shouldn't have made her do this."_

_Kagami hadn't bothered to explain that Kona had been the one who had really wanted to be in the competition. Kagami just wanted to get out of there as soon as she possibly could, and get Konata away from these people who obviously didn't care about her. _

_Upon review of the photos taken by the main cameras, and the secondary photographers though, a certain shot was taken. The shot showed Kagami with a determined look on her face that Kagami recognized as the face she had made right before she had gone into full rage mode on the audience photographers. Konata was gripping Kagami's arm tightly, seeming to almost try and hide her face on Kagami's shoulder. There was a blush on Konata's face that made the whole picture adorable. It was scored as a ninety-eight by two of the judges, and a perfect one-hundred by the third, winning Konata the contest, and ensuring their picture would go public at some point._

_The judges offered to call an ambulance for Konata, but Kagami declined saying they didn't live far away, and had picked Konata up, and carried the smaller girl out piggy back style, with her arms draped over Kagami's shoulders._

_Kagami had been surprised. She knew Konata was small, but the weight of her body seemed to be hardly anything at all. Kagami had no trouble carrying Konata out of there, although she did shout angrily at a few people for whistling at her, and blushed heavily at a few girls who said things like, "Lucky girl, looks like she found a good one."_

_Konata was sleeping on Kagami's back, all cares apparently forgotten once she lost consciousness. Kagami was a little angry, not really at Konata, but the people who kept snapping those pictures even though it was obviously scaring her little friend. Still, she really hadn't thought Konata was the type to panic, and pass out in a situation like that. Maybe she had just been tired from her two days of not sleeping, and had finally caved in, but Kagami didn't think that was it since the smaller girl had been so excited about the whole competition thing._

_Kagami had gotten a few weird looks as she walked on to the train carrying the smaller girl, but noone raised any questions, and she found a seat where she could lean Konata up against her. It felt odd for Kagami to be with Konata for such a long time with no conversation happening. When the train pulled into the proper station, Kagami disembarked, planning on taking Konata home._

_She didn't know why she didn't just wake Konata up, or even call Konata's dad to come get her, but she felt it was nice being like this. She stopped to rest at a bench in a small park not too terribly far from Konata's house. She sat Konata down, and let her lay her head in Kagami's lap. Kagami just looked down at her little friend, and found herself stroking Konata's hair without thinking abut it._

_After a couple minutes of the stroking, Konata began to awaken. She groaned as she awakened, and looked around questioningly, but she didn't raise her head from Kagami's lap. When she recognized where she was, Konata relaxed against Kagami. Kagami said to Konata, "Hey, are you alright?"_

_Konata answered simply, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not sure exactly what happened though, and I have a headache. And I feel all weak. Also I'm thirsty, and I could really go for a few hours of MMO time."_

_Kagami smiled at her friend's odd way of thinking, and said, "You don't sound fine to me. Anyways, we won that competition, I guess you can feel a bit better now that that's out of the way."_

_Konata sat up, and stared at Kagami disbelievingly, she looked happy, but Kagami could tell Konata was really drained at the moment, she looked like she might pass out again soon. Konata said to her, "So we won the Haruhi Box set huh? I wonder how we managed to pull that off with me passing out like that."_

_Kagami wasn't about to show Konata her copy of the embarrassing picture that had won them the competition, besides, she would see it soon enough when the ads hit in a few weeks, so she just said, "I don't know, maybe we just looked really cute together. No matter what though, we won, and you got your prize." _

_Kagami blushed as she realized what she had just suggested. Trying to hide her discomfort, Kagami passed the shoulder bag to Konata who peered inside, and then smiled, and put the bag on her shoulder. She definitely didn't seem as happy as Kagami had hoped she'd be. Konata spoke quietly to Kagami, saying, "Thanks a lot. I guess we should call it a day though. I'm pretty tired, and I had hoped we could watch a couple of episodes together, but I don't think I could stay awake even if my Brigade leader ordered it. Although in fairness, if she did order it, I guess she could just make it to where I could stay awake."_

_Kagami chuckled at what she called Konata's "not logic". It was Konata's way of rationalizing things that couldn't possibly happen, and while it normally agitated her, she was just glad to see her friend slowly returning to normal. She asked Konata though, "Are you sure you can make it, Konata, you don't look so good."_

_Konata smiled at Kagami saying, "Yeah, I can make it, it's only like a mile from here anyways."_

_With that Konata said goodbye, and turned away wobbling as she walked, and almost fell when Kagami caught her from behind. She pulled Konata in close holding her around the waist, supporting her. Konata said quietly to her, "Sorry Kagamin."_

_Kagami once again lifted Konata into the piggy back position, which was even easier now that Konata was awake, and could hold on by herself. Konata laid her arms around Kagami's shoulders, and allowed herself to be lifted. She then laid her head against Kagami's shoulder relaxing as the bigger girl carried her for a second time._

_Kagami started walking, and they were in silence for a couple of minutes before Konata said, "Do you want it?"_

_Kagami stopped for a moment, unable to believe what she had just heard. She asked Konata, "Excuse me? What was that?"_

_Konata seemed to be struggling to say it, but she managed to get it out a second time, "I mean, you can have it if you want it. I'm sure it was you who won the competition for us since I'm not really all that pretty anyways ."_

_Kagami couldn't believe Konata was offering her a once in a lifetime Haruhi prize, she had felt sure that would probably become Konata's most prized, and important item in her entire anime and manga collection. Sure she could tell Konata was having trouble offering it, but still, that was like the equivalent of Kagami offering to give Konata all of her favorite ribbons._

_She answered Konata, saying, "Konata, I can't accept something like that. I know how much you want it, and I'd be a lot happier if you kept it."_

"_Okay.", said Konata, not insisting, and Kagami smiled when she felt Konata give a sigh of relief from her back. Kagami started walking again._

_Konata wasn't done though, she said to Kagami after a few more steps, "Still. I have to give you something. There's no way I can be in debt like this. Surely I have something you want, just name it...I...I don't mind at all."_

_Kagami could tell how hard it was for Konata to say these things, all those collectibles she was offering were her life's work, it wouldn't be easy to give any of those things away, but Kagami wasn't really interested in all that stuff, so she told Konata,"I'm not really interested in any of that stuff Konata, you know that. Also what's up with this seriousness all of a sudden, what debt do you have to me?"_

_Konata once again seemed to be struggling for words, making Kagami a little concerned for her friend. Konata definitely wasn't the strong silent type, so this sort of quietness, and passiveness made it seem like there was some sort of serious problem. Finally though, Konata spoke, telling Kagami, "Nobody...I mean, No one's ever taken up for me before Kagami. Especially not after I embarrassed them in public, like I did to you. I never thought anyone but dad even cared enough to do something like that. Then you carried me, and you bought me my favorite theater candy earlier, and you're always nice to me when I tease you, and I feel dumb a lot because you never get really mad at me. I'm sorry Kagamin, I'm not really good at explaining feelings and stuff."_

_Kagami, however, was touched. Konata had actually confessed a lot of really sweet feelings to Kagami. She hadn't even been embarrassed, Kagami wished she could always talk about her feelings openly that way, but even so, it shattered an opinion she had held of Konata for a long time. She had always thought Konata was really tough, and nothing ever bothered her, she could treat the worst things in the world as a joke, and laugh it off. Now Kagami found herself thinking, "Was this girl always this fragile? I really should have noticed it earlier, I bet it's been killing her to hold that stuff in."_

_Kagami carried Konata on in silence, half a mile now covered. Soon they would be at Konata's house, and their night together would be over. Kagami didn't want it to end like this, she wanted to make sure there were plenty more nights she had fun with Konata. She wouldn't let this melancholy sit on her friend for another minute if she could help it._

_So Kagami said out loud, "Best friends."_

_Konata raised her head up, and said, "What?"_

_Kagami then said to Konata, "If you want to give me something I really want, how about we be best friends. We'll make it official right now."_

_Kagami had now stopped, she felt Konata's heart suddenly start beating really quickly, and she was a little worried when Konata replied, "It's not enough."_

_Kagami asked her, "What do you mean it's not enough?"_

_Konata responded, "I mean, it's not a fair trade. I need to give more, so how about we add 'forever' on the end of it?"_

_Kagami told Konata after thinking about that for a moment, "I don't understand."_

_Konata then explained, "I mean we promise that we'll always be best friends no matter what. No backing out of it after a couple weeks because we get mad at each other. No matter what, we can't ever deny we're best friends, and if we stick with it, I'm sure one day I'll be awesome enough to make up for the Haruhi prize you won for me."_

_Kagami was instantly saddened by this statement. Sure she was overjoyed Konata wanted to be best friends, Kagami had actually thought of making that official a few times before, but couldn't ever bring herself to say it. Her friend, however, had just admitted she didn't think her friendship was worth a box of DVDs. Kagami had an urge to just grab them and break them right there, she didn't know why her anger was directed at the anime, but she wasn't going have anything making her best friend think less of herself._

_The urge passed though, and Kagami said, "Fine. We'll be best friends forever. It's a promise."_

_Kagami started walking again after the promise was made, feeling she had accomplished her goal._

_Konata then yelled, "YAY! Kagamin's so sweet!"_

_Kagami felt a little agitated at the sudden display of exuberance, thinking if Konata had the energy to yell, she had the energy to walk, so she warned Konata with a strict tone, "Konata."_

_Konata didn't notice though, and kept cheering, deepening Kagami's embarrassment and agitation, "Kagamin protects me from evil photographers, and she carries me when I'm weak, with not a Hi-Potion in sight. She's like a champion of justice!"_

_Kagami warned again, feeling the all-too-familiar vein that appeared anytime Konata seemed to be feeling energetic, "Konata."_

_Konata finally took notice, and said, "Hey we're best friends now, we both gotta be more tolerant of each other. That means you can't get mad at me for calling you Kagamin, you have to start liking your nickname as of just a minute ago. Also you can't get mad at me anymore for making fun of your weight, you just have to assume I'm doing it to build your character or because you're hilarious when you're aggravated."_

_Kagami couldn't help but feel happy hearing her friend suddenly back to normal. She would never tell Konata, but she loved listening to the smaller girl when she got all energetic, even if it was a little trying on her nerves, she wouldn't trade her friend's behavior for anything. Konata was Konata, no matter how you looked at her, what you got was an odd, boisterous, obsessive, lovable, and all around pleasant to be around little blue haired Otaku. She didn't think anyone would want Konata to be any other way than that._

_Still she said to Konata, teasingly, "You're going to make me regret this aren't you?"_

_Konata responded,"It's okay, Kagamin, I like my best friends super-sized."_

_Kagami was a little past annoyed at that remark, she let Konata's weight shift downwards, not actually intending to drop the girl, but threateningly saying, "That's it, you're walking."_

_Konata overreacted as usual grabbing Kagami's shoulders tightly, and yelling, "NOOO! I'm too weak to make the journey Kagamin! Hold brave steed, I need your strength!"_

_Kagami didn't understand what Konata was talking about, but she was sure if she understood, it would annoy her. After another minute of silence though Konata said in a more serious tone, "Still. I've never been a best friend before. I may have to do some serious grinding in the next couple weeks to get good at it."_

_Kagami smiled, thinking, "Of course she'd think of it that way."_

_She kept walking without letting Konata drop though. After they covered another quarter mile in silence, Konata said quietly into Kagami's ear, while letting go of her shoulders, "And since we're best friends, you can't get mad when I do stuff like this."_

_Konata wrapped her arms around Kagami's stomach, and hugged her strongly, burying her face into Kagami's back. Kagami immediately started blushing, but she wasn't mad at all. Konata just wanted to be close to her, she understood that better than anyone. After all she had chosen her classes in High School just to be closer to her friends and sister, so she let Konata hang on to her the remaining distance to Konata's house. She would never tell anyone, but she enjoyed every second of it._

_Kagami let Konata down, who broke the hug reluctantly, and said, "You're home now, make sure you go straight to bed. It's a school night anyways, you should rest up before tomorrow."_

_Konata nodded, and then flashed her cat smile at Kagami, saying, "Hey Kagamin, did anyone ask why you were carrying me?"_

_Kagami was embarrassed by that question although she had no idea why it should make her blush. She told Konata, "No, a lot of people gave weird looks though."_

_Konata looked disappointed for a moment, and then she said, "Aww man, I was hoping you would say I was your narcoleptic little sister."_

_Kagami was confused, and asked, "Wait, what? Why would I say something like that?"_

_Konata just shook her head, and clicked her tongue, and said like an older person talking down to a young one,which really aggravated Kagami, "It's no use, if you don't get it, I won't bother explaining it. You're so boring sometimes Kagamin. Oh well, I guess that's just who you are. I don't think I'd change anything about you even if I could."_

_Kagami couldn't decide if that was an insult or a compliment. Maybe a little of both. Even so it annoyed her, but she was still worried about her friend, who looked like she could drop from weariness at any moment, so she said, "Whatever Konata, you just make sure you get to bed alright?"_

_Konata nodded, and wearily started walking past Kagami, heading towards the front door. She stopped as she made it a few feet past Kagami, and then started ambling back towards her. Confusing Kagami who was about to ask her what she was doing, when she suddenly felt warm, as the soft figure of the smaller girl pressed against her. Konata hugged her very warmly, and whispered, "Thanks, Kagamin."_

_Kagami couldn't respond, she had been taken completely by surprise. She didn't have time to get mad or get embarrassed, so she just did what came naturally, and hugged her little friend back, saying, "Go to bed Konata."_

_Konata broke the hug, and smiled up at her, saying before turning around, and heading into her home, "We're going to be a lot closer now, huh?"_

_Kagami smiled down at the blue-haired girl, and just nodded her answer._

_After watching Konata make it inside, Kagami sighed. She felt exhausted all of a sudden as she started her own journey home. Even so, she kept thinking about Konata hugging her sweetly like that, and kept on thinking, "Sometimes miles just aren't long enough."_

Konata looked up to her, and they locked eyes. They stayed that way for nearly a minute before Kagami smiled at Konata. The little blue haired girl seemed confused for a moment before she smiled back. Kagami immediately felt better seeing Konata's happy grin. That was the Konata she knew most of the time, and was always happy for.

Kagami said to her, "It's fine."

Konata replied, "Huh?"

Kagami told her again, "Just forget it. That's my favor, so you have to do it, you agreed. We're a lot closer now, right? That's enough to make me happy. Let me warn you though, if you EVER try something like that again, you're not going to walk away from it, and that's a promise."

Konata just nodded. She felt like someone had just pulled a mountain off of her chest. She had known Kagami wasn't going to leave, but complete forgiveness? That was completely unexpected. She felt great, the sleepover was saved, and Kagami wasn't mad at her, but at the same time, she didn't feel so great. A big part of her didn't want to forget about it, but she had agreed. Even if she didn't want to do it, it was the least she could do for Kagami.

Kagami sighed, relieved, and she said, "Want to go play some games or something?"

Konata perked up at the mention of that. She had had some great games prepared even before she left to meet Kagami. They were going to stay up all night, and play games, and eat junk food, and maybe go play in the rain again since it had been so much fun the first time. Although even as these thoughts were racing inside her, she kept thinking, "Where's my Tsun-Tsun?"

Konata headed up the stairs, calling happily for Kagami to come with her. There was a fighting game Konata hadn't had last time Kagami was over, and it was just waiting for them to play it. Kagami lagged behind a little. She was really glad Konata had perked up a bit, and she even felt better herself. She knew Konata would honor the favor, and never speak of it again, and it seemed that all of their awkwardness had disappeared as well.

Still, Kagami knew even if they never discussed it, She wouldn't forget what had happened. She would still question why Konata had tried something like that, but even more than that. She would question why she had accepted it, and been happy. Her heart had been beating fast, she hadn't been able to think a single bad thought, and she had desperately tried to be angry with Konata at that time. She just hadn't been able to. There was no way for her to deny it, she was happy when Konata was close to her.

Konata made it to the top of the stairs, and looked back to see Kagami spaced out, and wondered what she was thinking. Konata knew even if Kagami had asked her to never mention it again, there was no way she could just forget. She had felt some really strong feelings when she had been close to Kagami like that. There was no way something she had never felt before like that could be erased so easily.

She once again wondered if maybe she _was_ interested in Kagami as more than a friend. There were definitely worse people she could have ended up liking. She knew Kagami was pretty, nice, caring, protective, and lately she had been downright lovable, and cute. Less and less of her Tsun side showed around Konata when they were alone. If she really was interested in Kagami though, she doubted the bigger girl would ever return her feelings. All Konata could do for right then though was save all the serious thoughts for some other time, and focus on making the sleepover fun for the two of them. She hoped by the time they were ready to go to sleep, Kagami would have laughed so much, that serious look would never cross her face again.

She called down to Kagami, saying, "Hey! Are we gonna play games or what? Come on girl, it's butt-whuppin' time!"

Kagami was shaken from her memories, and she smiled up at Konata who seemed to have made a quick recovery from all the seriousness, and said, "Yeah, I'm coming. I hope you're not over-hyping this game like that last one you got."

Konata started moving on, Kagami losing sight of her, as she walked away from the top of the stairs, calling out, "Naw, come on, it'll be fun, I promise!"

Kagami chuckled at her smaller friend's behavior. She was sure the rest of the night was going to be great. After all, she had thought it herself earlier when she had been trying to decide whether she would come or not. She always had fun when she came over to Konata's place. This time would be no different. Kagami started climbing the stairs looking forward to spending more time with Konata, and who knew, maybe Konata was right when she had said earlier that, "Something amazing might happen."

* * *

Author's Note: I've moved the Author's note to the bottom instead of the top since I got an email from someone saying putting it at the top is a distraction since people want to get straight to the story. Okay there are a few things I need to get out. First off, sorry about the way the last chapter ended, there definitely were better places to have cut it, but as I was editing, and looking for grammar problems, and broken sentences, and stuff like that, it never crossed my mind that the chapter ending was going to be as horrible as it was. I'm an amateur though, and this is my first work, so I'm actually surprised I didn't make that mistake earlier in the story. I think I did a better job with this chapter ending, and will try to avoid doing anything like that again in the future.

Next up, I had broken this chapter into three parts since it was so long, but I decided to put the second two parts back together, so it would be comparable in length to the first part.

Third, I feel the need to explain the puns in the restaurant scene. In one part Kagami asks Konata if she has any shame, and Konata responds by gripping her hand, and saying for Kagami to decide for herself.

The pun there is that the Japanese word haji means shame.

Haji can also mean grip though, which explains Konata's response.

Then Konata says "It was all in good pun." Which isn't just an English pun on the word fun, but a crossover pun because in my mind she was using the Japanese word tawamure, which can mean both to joke, and to be flirtatious which would take Kagami a second to register, and then she still wouldn't be for sure how Konata had meant the word. That doesn't translate very well into English while still remaining a pun though, so I decided to write it as, "All in good pun." so that anyone who speaks English could get a kick out of it.

Also, when Konata is picturing Kagami wielding a Banhammer, that may be confusing for people who don't frequent forum sites, so I'll clarify. When an admin, or moderator bans someone on a forum site, it is often referred to as bringing down the Banhammer, once it has been used, that user can never use the site again, so of course when Konata is picturing a physical incarnation of it, the result would be to be wiped from existence.

Also, in response to Zokusho, sorry about the gore. Oddly enough my line of work is as an actor, but when I can't find work as an actor, I make my living as a butcher, so the gore stuff just flows out unintentionally, I actually thought I was being mild with the description of the gore in the movie, I'm very sorry if it took away from the story though. I'll try my best not to make a mistake of that nature again.

As always, thanks for the reviews guys, without those, this story would have probably been a monotonous jabbering, and a waste of space on this site. Keep them coming, and I promise to try and make everything better as it goes.


	9. Dreams and Kisses!

Chapter 9 Dreams and Kisses!

Kagami looked at the screen flashing 1P wins for what seemed the thousandth time before finally muttering, "Yeah, I'm never going to beat you at a fighting game."

Konata was doing a victory cheer, and finished, saying, "Aww come on, Kagamin! You were really close that time, let's go just a few more rounds!"

Kagami's tension felt earlier had pretty much evaporated by this point. After going upstairs everything had gone back to normal. Her and Konata were having a blast playing Konata's different games. The only times she had felt uncomfortable were when she looked around, and noticed some doujinshi tucked away in different places. Still, at least it wasn't sitting in the middle of the floor.

Kagami sighed, and stood up, and stretched. She worked out a cramp in her back from sitting on the floor so long. It was still raining heavily, and the constant drum had been making her tired, but not quite so tired that she was ready to go to sleep. So she asked Konata, "So, is there anything else to do? I'm getting pretty bored of losing fighting games to you constantly."

Konata laughed at Kagami, and then explained happily, "Oh Kagamin, it's never really all that fun being on the receiving end of a dish of 'pwn', but a true gamer endures knowing that eventually they'll be dishing it out. You just need more practice."

Kagami didn't understand at all what Konata was talking about. Pwn wasn't even a word. Still she replied, "Yeah, yeah, but not now, my head is starting to hurt from focusing on the screen so much. Let's find something else to do."

With that Konata stood up, and opened her window. Kagami had no idea what she was planning, but got a bad feeling when Konata picked up the pipe they had recovered earlier. Konata walked back over to the window, chuckling to herself at this point. Konata quickly thrust the arm that was holding the pipe out the window, as Kagami angrily yelled, "KONATA! WHAT THE HELL!"

Konata was still in her pipe throwing pose at the window, and she said, "Let's go find it again, it was so much fun the first time! Come on, it'll be a blast!"

Kagami honestly considered throttling her little friend's neck for a moment. There was no way she was going through another hunt for that thing, especially when she wasn't the one who got rid of it. She started to tell Konata off, when Konata brought her arm back into the window from outside, still clutching the pipe. Needless to say Kagami was angry at the smaller girl for the trick, but more than angry she was embarrassed she had been dumb enough to fall for it. She should have known Konata would never have thrown something like that away.

She grumbled angrily, "Stupid Konata, don't joke around like that, you could've been struck by lightning or something! Think before you do things!"

Konata grinned at her friend, saying, "Lightning? Heh. That's not a very good lie to hide how you're feeling Kagamiiin. At least you're worried about me, that's nice I guess."

Kagami blushed, realizing her friend had seen through her once again. Sometimes she wished she was the one doing the teasing more often, but she wasn't as good at just thinking up random things to do in order to aggravate her friends as Konata was. Kagami wondered briefly how Konata had gotten so good at aggravating her. Knowing her. She probably had a case study of things Kagami hated, and had memorized the whole thing for future use. Occasionally adding new things to the list when she found something else that annoyed the bigger girl.

Kagami was pulled from her thoughts by Konata asking, "What are you thinking about Kagami?"

Kagami realized she spaced out, and told Konata, "Oh, it's nothing important. Don't worry about it."

Konata then told Kagami, "Okay, also, I know I got a whole bunch of fun stuff ready for tonight, but it's all stuff that I enjoy. Why don't you pick out something for us to do?"

Kagami wasn't really surprised at this. These sorts of times were usually the only times she saw Konata being considerate of other people's feelings, since Kagami knew the smaller girl loved for everyone around her to be having fun. Kagami thought about it for a minute, and then said, "We could try something a little more normal for a sleepover you know."

Konata was quiet for a moment, probably thinking about what normal sleepovers were like, and then she said, "Like what? You'd better not be getting all girly on me Kagami."

Kagami responded, a little annoyed at her friend's attitude, "In case you haven't noticed, we're BOTH girls. Is it really that strange I like doing stuff like brushing hair, and talking about our friends, and our plans for the future? I mean where do you want to be in ten years Konata?"

Konata looked serious for a moment, Kagami thought she looked like she was concentrating really hard, and she wondered if Konata was about to give her a serious answer. Then Konata said, "I don't really like to think about things that far ahead."

Kagami responded, "Well, you should really start thinking about your future. We're going to graduate soon, and go off to college. Don't you even know what you want to do with your life?"

Kagami noticed as she spoke, Konata winced with each sentence, like she had struck the smaller girl. She wasn't sure what to make of the reactions, then Konata said, "I just want to be happy. I don't care really where I am, or how much money I make, so long as it's enough to keep up with the current anime and manga. As long as I have you...", Konata paused there for a moment, and Kagami tensed up, thinking that was all to her answer, but Konata continued after a second where she had left off, "And Tsukasa, and Miyuki, it doesn't really matter right?"

Kagami sighed. There was that serious side that peeped out when she least expected it. Konata seemed to have a natural talent for making a normal conversation seem odd, but Kagami said, "It certainly does matter. How do you think we'd all feel, going off to college, and moving on in our lives while you just stayed the way you are now?"

Kagami felt bad immediately as she saw a hurt look on Konata's face, and Konata replied, "Do you not like how I am Kagami?"

Kagami didn't know what to say, her first reaction was to say, Of course not. Konata was selfish most of the times, irresponsible, and lazy. She was way over-obsessed with anything that seemed to pull her attention from the real world. She stopped herself from saying it, but the damage was already done. Konata had read Kagami's thoughts from her face as she was biting back her thoughts.

Konata was obviously saddened, and said, "Yeah. I know I should change. I'm just a little weirdo to most people. Sometimes I wonder why you guys even hang out with me. Even so, as long as you guys are there, I'll still be happy no matter what, so it'll all be okay, you'll see."

Kagami decided to drop the issue, she had had enough of serious Konata for now, and wanted to move back to more pleasant things. Looking at Konata's mussed up hair she decided to pitch another idea, saying, "Hey Konata. Why don't I style your hair?"

Konata also looked to be relieved to move on to another topic, and she smiled, and said, "Yeah. Make the girl of your dreams Kagamin! U-style...uhhh...style."

Kagami was a little embarrassed at what Konata said, but she went along with it, and told Konata to go get her brush, and some ribbons, so they could try out different hairstyles. Konata left the room, and was gone for a few minutes, leaving Kagami to wonder what she was doing. When she came back she had a brush, some hair spray, a bunch of rubber bands, and a few ribbons of various colors. Kagami could tell Konata wasn't much for hair decorations, but still, she wondered why she didn't see the beautiful ribbon Konata had worn on the night of their promise in the collection.

Kagami didn't actually ask the question though, and decided what she would do as Konata carefully laid the materials out in front of her. First she told Konata to sit with her back facing towards Kagami, and then Kagami picked up the brush, and started sliding it through Konata's hair. Every few seconds Konata would complain, and shout, "Ouch! Hey easy Kagamin! This is styling, not interrogation."

Kagami felt annoyed at Konata's lack of apparent care for her hair. She couldn't believe there were this many tangles in it. Just styling her hair for fun was quickly becoming a chore just from the prep work. She asked Konata, "Jeez Konata! Don't you ever brush your hair?"

Konata responded in an annoyed tone telling Kagami she had once again struck a nerve in her little friend, "I brush my hair every day as a matter of fact! It's just that, it's, well, it's longer than my arms, and I can't ever reach it all."

Kagami stopped for a moment picturing Konata trying to brush the back bottom end of her hair, and being unable to reach it, and then flipping it up over her head in an attempt to make it closer, and still not being able to reach it when it spilled over the front. She felt a small blush spreading across her face at the cuteness of that image, but she quickly shoved it out of her mind, and continued working.

After a few minutes she managed to get Konata's hair smooth, and tangle free. So she started deciding which hairstyle they should try first. She remembered that Konata looked cute in a ponytail, so they could save that for later. First she put Konata's hair up in a bun, of course, she had way too much hair for that, and she ended up letting a good portion of it spill out the back sort of making Konata look like she was wearing a blue wicker hat on her head.

Kagami got a good laugh at that to Konata's annoyance, and next up she tried a french braid ponytail. Kagami immediately had to undo it though since she couldn't bear Konata's cuteness in that state. She was considering what to do next when Konata said, "Make me look like you Kagamin! I wanna try pigtails next!"

Kagami shrugged, and thought, "Sure, I've never seen her in pigtails before", and she was happy to see Konata finally getting enthusiastic about the whole activity, so she tied Konata's hair up in pigtails.

Using a blue ribbon, and a yellow ribbon. She got Konata's hair done up, and wasn't surprised that Konata's hair looked nice like that. She couldn't help but say, "I'm so jealous of your hair Konata, it looks good no matter what I do to it, not like mine. I look dumb in a ponytail, and sort of childish when it just hangs there."

Konata didn't look back at Kagami, not wanting to let the taller girl know she was blushing from the compliment, she said to Kagami, "It's okay though, because the pigtails are an important part of tsundere nature. I was almost positive the first time I saw you that you were tsundere just from the pigtails alone. So don't worry about it, it suits you just fine."

Kagami wasn't sure what to make of that statement, so she just said, "Can you quit calling me that?"

Konata was quiet for a moment, and then she turned to look at Kagami, and said, "Hey, do you think if I was taller I could be pretty like you?"

Kagami found herself blushing, she hadn't expected that at all. Had Konata just said she thought Kagami was pretty? She answered Konata saying, "Hmmm...Actually I think you look just fine the way you are now Konata. You don't need to worry about changing anything at all."

Now it was Konata's turn to blush, and Kagami enjoyed seeing that she could get that kind of reaction out of Konata too, and Konata stuttered, "Hehe...thanks."

Moving away from the awkwardness of their last couple sentences Kagami asked Konata, "So what should we try next?"

Konata answered with a big yawn, causing Kagami to glance at the digital clock on Konata's computer desk, seeing it was past one in the morning. After seeing the time she felt herself yawning, and growing annoyed as Konata chuckled, and said, "Direct hit! I faked it to see if you'd really catch it!"

Kagami chuckled at that, and then said to Konata, "Hey, don't you think it's about time we go to bed?"

Konata then glanced at her clock, and replied, "What? You want to bed down this early?"

Kagami nodded, and yawned again, not yawning on purpose, but it did emphasize how tired she was getting. Konata sighed, and said, "You really need to pull more all-nighters Kagami, you miss out on so many hours of fun by going to bed this early, besides, it's not like we have anything to do tomorrow."

Kagami answered, "Yeah, but I'd still prefer to face whatever annoying things you're going to do tomorrow while fully rested."

This time it was Konata's turn to sigh, and she said, "Yeah, whatever, I guess we can go to bed, but we have to wake up early, and make the most of tomorrow, okay?"

Kagami said, "Yeah, yeah."

Konata smiled at Kagami, and said, "Just lay down in my bed, I'll go get a futon for me. The bed's a lot more comfortable so I'd rather you sleep there."

Kagami was surprised at this unexpected nicety, and said, "Oh, are you sure, I don't mind sleeping on the floor Konata."

Konata then said, "Nah, it'll be fine, just make yourself comfortable, besides, I don't want you complaining in the morning we can't do something because you didn't sleep well, so think of it as insurance."

Kagami smirked at that, of course Konata would have a reason like that. Still, she was thankful, and she walked over to Konata's bed, and laid down. It was much softer than Kagami's own bed, and as she pulled the soft blankets over her, she relaxed and settled in, listening to the noises of the rain, and Konata outside the room fetching the futon.

She heard a scream of, "WAAAA, I'M STUCK!", followed by a soft crashing noise, and was about to get up, and check it out when Konata re-entered the room, dragging the futon for some reason already unrolled, and wrestling it through the door.

Kagami confusedly asked, "Hey, what was that all about?"

Konata turned around, rubbing the back of her head with her right arm, saying, "Well, someone put it on the top shelf in the closet, and it sort of fell on me while I was trying to reach it and pull it down. Then I got tangled up in it, and couldn't get out."

Kagami couldn't help it, she started laughing. Konata looked slightly annoyed, and said, "Come on Kagami, it wasn't that funny."

Kagami finished her bout of laughter before saying, "That sort of stuff could only happen to you, you know?"

Konata was now straightening out the mat, and placing her blankets on top of it, and just said in an annoyed manner, "Whatever."

Konata then walked over to her door, and flicked the light out, leaving it pitch black in the room. There was also silence besides the hammering of rain and thunder, and the small sound of the two fans in Konata's computer.

Kagami was tired, and warm, and comfortable, but still she couldn't fall asleep. Now was the first chance Kagami had to relax and think since the time after they had found the pipe, and she inadvertently found her train of though coming back to where it had left off. She was thinking about how emotional she had been during their search, and after that Kagami kept thinking about their moment downstairs.

Kagami found herself thinking about the strange feeling she had had when Konata was hugging her on the ground. More than anything her mind kept drifting back to Konata lying on that bench in the station. She had been terrified, she had just wanted to drop where she was and scream as loud as she could, she wanted to do anything to make that scene not real.

Kagami shuddered as she found herself thinking of what her life would be like if she suddenly had Konata taken away from her. Losing her best friend, she couldn't think of anything worse than that, other than losing a family member, and still, Kagami thought losing Konata would hurt even more than losing her mom or dad. She was too afraid to consider how bad it would hurt if one of her sisters were taken from her.

She tried to get her mind out its depressive rut, and looked around Konata's room. She had been lying in bed for an hour now, and she could hear Konata's slow even breathing, but it was frequently interrupted by Konata groaning, or shifting. Kagami thought to herself, "Looks like she isn't sleeping well either."

Kagami listened to the rain drone on, and found herself dropping off soon, she was glad she was getting sleepy, but annoyed because every time she got right on the verge of sleep, her body would suddenly seize up, and she would have to begin her relaxing all over again before she could finally fall asleep.

The last thing she did before sleep took her, was look over to where Konata was sleeping, and think, "You'd better not leave me, Konata. I mean it."

With that she nodded off, and almost immediately began shifting uncomfortably. Her dreams were plagued with visions of Konata at the station, but this time Konata wasn't asleep. Kagami couldn't handle the vision, and she began running out of the station into the blackness of the storm. It seemed around every corner she ran into Konata though, still laying on the bench.

Kagami was horrified when Konata began speaking from the bench, saying, "You threw it away Kagamin! I hate you!"

Kagami began running again, and found herself running down a dead end, with walls on all sides, she turned around to look for another way out of her situation, but as she turned around she saw Konata sitting up on the bench. Konata stood up, and started wobbling over to her, she looked terrible. Konata's skin was pale, there was blood on her clothes, but no apparent injuries on her body.

There was no way to escape, Konata was shambling slowly towards her from the direction she had entered from, and walls were stopping her from bolting anywhere. With every step the thing that looked like Konata took, the world seemed to get darker. Konata was reaching out for Kagami. Konata said to her in a weak voice, "Why are you leaving me Kagamin? You said forever."

Kagami couldn't respond as Konata made her way closer, and closer. Now Konata seemed to be the only thing that existed besides Kagami, and rain. Konata was slowly closing the distance, her pale hands almost touching Kagami.

Kagami woke with a start, pushing Konata back, saying, "Konata! Get back! What are you doing!"

Konata was in the bed with Kagami, already under the blankets, and Kagami had woken up when Konata had tried to wrap her arms around Kagami's waist. Konata looked to her friend, and Kagami could see Konata's face with her vision adjusted to the dark room. Konata didn't look well, there were bags under eyes like she hadn't slept in days, and her hair was all messed up again. She was quiet for a moment before she said, "I had a bad dream Kagamin...sorry."

Kagami felt like a weight was crushing her chest as she heard Konata's voice crack multiple times in the short sentence uttered. She looked at Konata, and could see the smaller girl trying her best to hold back tears. Apparently she didn't want to cry in front of Kagami. Even so, her stomach and chest were heaving with sobs she was muffling the noise to in her throat.

Kagami reached out, and grabbed the smaller girl, pulling her into a tight embrace, and stroking her hair, she comforted Konata, saying, "Shhh...it's alright now Konata, it's fine, just let it out."

Konata leaned against Kagami, still holding back her tears, and making muffled whining noises. Kagami could feel Konata's stomach pushing against her as she sobbed quietly. Kagami could feel it trembling for the next ten minutes as Konata slowly relaxed. Kagami didn't let her go even after Konata stopped.

Kagami's own dream had been a bad one, bust she was frightened to think of a dream that could have produced this reaction out of Konata. She couldn't imagine anything that would have Konata sobbing like this, and was thankful she had come over. Kagami couldn't bear the thought that Konata may have had a dream like that, and had noone around to comfort her.

Her back began cramping up after holding Konata in such an awkward position, so she lay back, and didn't resist, when Konata still wanted to be held. They stayed that way for a while. Kagami looked over at the clock to see she had only been asleep for a little over an hour. Even so she thought she'd have a hard time getting back to sleep.

Konata was very warm as Kagami held her. Kagami felt the urge to shift the blankets off of her a little, but decided not to since she'd have to let go of Konata in order to do that. Konata was already settling in, apparently she had already made up her mind that she was going to sleep in the bed with Kagami that night. There was also no way Kagami could turn her away, and still call herself a friend after what had happened so she let Konata stay with her.

Konata was now cradled against Kagami's chest by the one arm Kagami had around Konata's waist. Konata was gripping Kagami's shirt over the right shoulder, and had wormed her hand under Kagami's back, so that she could bury her face into Kagami's side, right near Kagami's left breast. It wasn't uncomfortable for Kagami, but she still blushed a little since she wasn't used to being so close to Konata.

Kagami wasn't angry, or really even embarrassed though. Konata obviously wasn't playing one of her jokes, or just trying to find a reason to make Kagami embarrassed, so she had no problem allowing the smaller girl to cuddle against her. After they lay that way for nearly thirty minutes in silence, Kagami could hear Konata's breathing relaxing, and was sure the smaller girl was falling asleep again.

She was glad at least Konata was able to go back to sleep. She felt tired herself, but Kagami doubted if she would find rest again. After a few more minutes Konata said quietly, "Thanks Kagamin."

Then Konata asked, "You're not going to leave me are you?"

The small girl seemed worried, and Kagami could feel her begin to tremble. So Kagami answered, "I don't think I could leave anyone in the condition you're in Konata, much less my best friend. You have nothing to worry about."

Konata just shook her head, and responded, "No. I mean ever."

Kagami just pulled her friend in closer with the arm around the smaller girl's waist in answer. Then she noticed Konata grip her a little tighter, and raise her head. Konata quickly pressed her lips against Kagami's left cheek before returning to her previous position, and tensing up as if waiting on blows that would never come.

Kagami was surprised. Konata had just kissed her, but it hadn't felt like a romantic kiss at all. She couldn't be angry, when they were smaller, Tsukasa had often given Kagami kisses like that one when Kagami squished a bug that had scared her smaller sister, or given a snack up to her younger twin. She had a hard time coping with the fact that Konata could be as cute as Tsukasa though. She started stroking the smaller girl's soft blue hair to let her know it was alright. She smiled, as Konata relaxed against her, and snuggled in closely.

She couldn't believe how cute Konata was sometimes though, and thinking back, this wasn't the first time she had shown off her cute side. Kagami felt like she was going to faint from how adorable Konata was when she bit into one of her cornets on the small side, and then had to lick up the chocolate spilling out the head end. She also loved the victory poses Konata did often for no apparent reason. Especially when people stared at her, and she kept it up apparently not bothered by other people's opinions.

Kagami lay awake thinking for quite a while before she felt herself starting to nod off a bit. She checked the time again to see she had been laying there for two hours. Konata had been asleep for a while, and Kagami was glad to see she wasn't groaning or rolling, or doing anything that might signify another bad dream.

Kagami surprised herself when she couldn't resist the urge to pull Konata in close to her. She was looking into her friend's face, only inches from it. She felt heat start spreading through her face as she looked at Konata's cute sleeping face. Kagami slowly moved her face in towards Konata's, pausing with their lips almost touching. Konata seemed happy as she slept next to Kagami. She was even smiling. Konata mumbled in her sleep, "Just a little bit longer."

Kagami could feel her heart beating rapidly, she thought to herself, "I can't do it. Not like this! It could even be her first, it would be wrong to steal it."

Even so, Kagami had come too far to give up empty-handed, and so she raised her face a little, and kissed Konata. She kissed the girl lightly, and sweetly on the forehead, it was nothing like Konata's earlier kiss, as Kagami tried to pour all of her feelings for the smaller girl out through her lips. Then she slowly pulled back. Kagami became worried a second later when Konata tensed up, and a small vein stuck out on her forehead, like what happened to Kagami when she was angry, but her worry disappeared when Konata snuggled in even closer, saying, "Not short Kagamin."

Kagami's last thought before falling asleep again was, "It's criminal how cute you are Kona."

* * *

Author's Note:Alright, here's the next chapter. The next one may take a little while as I have a bunch of work related stuff that has suddenly come up, I'll work on the story whenever I can, and hopefully get the next chapter out in a couple of days. Also, responding to Max's review. I didn't mean for it to seem like I planned everything out from the beginning. When I started I didn't really know where the story was going, but as I continued to write I got a much better idea of what I wanted out of the story, and just used things I left open in the beginning for further development. Also, no I've never done Noh theatre since I'm not nearly awesome enough for that, but the man who taught me everything I know about the stage was originally a Noh performer, and I probably just picked up a lot of his mannerisms. Even so, I will try my best to live up to your raised expectations, and seriously hope you continue to enjoy the story all the way to the end.

Now, thanks a lot for the reviews guys, keep them coming please. I take the time to read, and accept all advice given in the interest of making this story the best it can be. Thanks a bunch all, I'm looking forward to the next chapter when I can address you all again.


	10. KagaMEAN!

Chapter 10 Kaga-MEAN!

The first thing Kagami was aware of was heat. She was hot all over, and she could hardly breathe. That was probably why she woke up. She felt a weight on her left, and as she shifted, she noticed it started moving. Opening her eyes, Kagami could see her little blue haired angel was still sleeping beside her. She giggled slightly as she thought of that. She loved how Kona looked snuggled up against her. Konata's hand going under Kagami's back, and moving between her shoulders somehow was annoying though, so she fished it out from under her. She held Konata's hand for a moment, and then kissed it lightly, causing another small giggle.

Kagami had an urge to just pull Kona in, and kiss her all over, and tell her how cute she was, but Kagami suddenly got an even better idea. Kagami almost chuckled as she took Kona's hand, and placed it on her own left breast, and then snuggled in close to Konata. She smiled widely as she went back to sleep, wondering how Konata would react when she woke up.

Minutes passed, and then hours, and finally the little blue haired girl began to stir. Konata groaned a little, wondering why the wall to her side was so warm. She stretched, and noticed her hand got a grip on something very soft. Konata squeezed it lightly wondering what it could be, and was rewarded with a slight gasp from the bigger girl beside her.

Konata almost literally jumped out of bed from the startle that gave her. She raised her head, and opened her eyes to see her hand lightly cupping Kagami's breast, and the bigger girl, who was still asleep was blushing slightly. She could really feel the shape of it since Kagami had removed her bra just before climbing into bed, and at that thought, now Konata was blushing, much darker than Kagami was.

Konata got out of bed, attempting not to disturb her friend as she did. The blue haired girl was really glad she had woken up first, if she hadn't, Kagami may have beaten her to death before she had a chance to explain. Konata recovered from her near death experience quickly enough though, and began dressing. She decided to wear some knee length shorts, and a pink T-shirt with no decorations on it for right then.

As Konata glanced around her room, she checked the time on her digital clock, and saw it was nearly eleven in the morning. There was a small bit of sunlight coming in through her window, but the storm outside still made it very dark. Even so, it was noticeably less fierce than on the previous night. At least it wasn't dark enough outside that the street lights were shining.

Still Konata thought of a great idea to thank Kagami for being so nice to her the night before. She was going to make Kagami some breakfast. Konata happily skipped down the stairs, and into the kitchen where she prepared some Miso paste, and her tofu, and got her water boiling while she sliced some green onions to go in her Miso soup. Then she put some rice in her rice steamer, and went to the refrigerator to get some bacon out.

Soon the Miso soup was prepared, and she was busy frying the bacon up. She knew Kagami didn't like it to get cooked to the point where it was shriveled up and crunchy, so she turned the burner down to low heat, and watched happily as her bacon turned golden brown instead of dark, and then she removed it from the pan, and flipped it onto a large plate with some paper towels on it.

She had the table laid out with the Miso soup on each side with a small bowl of rice to the left of the Miso bowl, and the big plate of bacon right in the middle of the table so they would be able to reach out, and just grab however much they wanted.

Overall, Konata was pleased with the way the meal looked, and so she prepared two big glasses of milk, so that they would have something to drink with it. Konata hummed the closing song to G*nd*m W*ng the entire time she worked.

After everything was prepared she happily went back up the stairs to wake Kagami, and make her eat something before they set about deciding what they would do for the day. Konata entered the room, seeing no need to flip on the lights since there was a small amount of light coming through her window.

Konata walked over to Kagami, and leaned in close. She loved seeing Kagami's sleeping face. Konata decided to enjoy looking at it for a minute before waking the bigger girl up. To Konata' surprise though, after a few seconds of watching Kagami, her friend opened her eyes. Konata expected Kagami to scream, or yell at Konata for just being there when she woke up, but Kagami took a moment to recognize her, and then just smiled a big smile up at her.

Konata wasn't sure what to make of that, but she didn't have long to think before Kagami reached out, and grabbed Konata's shoulders, pulling the smaller girl into bed, and rolling over to pin her down. Kagami had her knees to each side of Konata's waist, and Kagami was holding both of Konata's hands above the little blue haired girl's head, pinned to the mattress by Kagami's own hands.

Konata turned scarlet quickly, Kagami's face was actually touching Konata's. The points of their noses were touching, as well as their foreheads as Kagami leaned her face up against Konata's. Konata started trembling, although she didn't know why. Her body began to grow hot, and she could hardly think at all.

Kagami teased her, "Oh, cute little Kona. You're turning all red. What's the matter, does it surprise you, when I'm the one who wants to fool around?"

As Kagami spoke, she drug her cheek across Konata's own, and as she finished saying "fool around" She took Konata's left earlobe between her lips, and tugged on it gently, causing the smaller girl to gasp, and arch her back.

Konata didn't understand what was happening at all, she had come to get Kagami to eat breakfast, and now she was pinned under the bigger girl, and blushing like crazy as Kagami made her feel like she was going to burst into flame. She didn't get any chance to try and reason out the bigger girl's behavior either because Kagami rolled off to Konata's left side, still facing her, and pulled the blue haired girl in close in a tight embrace.

Both of Kagami's arms were wrapped around Konata's waist as she pulled the smaller girl in, and gave a giggle as Konata tried to hide her blush in Kagami's chest. Kagami said to Konata, "Hold on there, you're moving a little fast don't you think? It's just a hug, not an invitation to grope."

Kagami giggled again as Konata stiffened, and removed her face from Kagami's bosom while still maintaining her now seemingly permanent blush. Kagami placed her forehead on Konata's once more, and they just lay there for a few minutes, not saying anything. Then Kagami said to Konata, "So, why did you wake me up cutie?"

Konata stuttered as she battled to think through a haze of heat clouding her mind as well as her own embarrassment. Kagami had called her cute. Konata squealed on the inside, Kagami being affectionate to her like this was like an amazing dream. It was way too good to be real, and yet it _was_ real. Kona closed her eyes, and enjoyed the vertigo feeling coming over her. It was a very common sensation she got when she was close to Kagami ever since the taller girl had done the nicest thing for Konata that Konata knew anyone could do.

Konata wrapped her arms around her friend, and said, "I made you breakfast Kagamin."

Kagami smiled at the smaller girl, and said, "Oh? Trying to get close to me with food again, eh?"

Konata responded, "No, it's nothing like that, I just wanted us to get started early, and make the most of today, like we said last night."

Kagami smiled at her friend's feeble answer, knowing inside it was a lie, and Konata had wanted a repeat of what had happened the night before. She giggled at how cute her friend was. Still, Kagami wasn't nearly done watching that adorable blush on Konata's face.

Kagami said to Konata, enjoying the reaction of the smaller girl stiffening against her, "What did I say about trying something like that again Konata? I'm pretty sure I said you wouldn't walk away from it, isn't that right?"

Kagami now let go of Konata, and got out of the bed, leaving the smaller girl wishing for more contact. Kagami then turned and faced Konata, and giggled when the smaller girl closed her eyes, as Kagami reached out for her. Konata was positive Kagami was about to hit her, but the blue haired girl felt Kagami's arms slide under her back, and up under her knees as she was lifted gently, and cradled against Kagami.

Konata couldn't believe it. Kagami was holding her like Konata was a princess or something, and Kagami was a knight carrying her out of danger. Konata smiled broadly, all of her inner turmoil disappearing as Kagami began carrying her towards the door. Konata enjoyed every second of it, now suddenly sure why she always teased Kagami trying to find out her real feelings, and why she had tried to feed Kagami the night before. She had always teased Kagami to try and make her confess to liking the smaller girl. She had tried to feed Kagami because she had wanted desperately to be closer to the girl.

Konata was hooked on Kagami, it was as simple as that, she was in love. Now that it was apparent, she couldn't believe she hadn't known it from the very beginning. She even knew the instant it had begun as a little crush, and had started developing. Hadn't she asked herself back then, "What's this feeling I'm feeling?"

That had been right after Kagami had done the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. She had lain awake many nights wondering what that feeling was, sure she had considered being in love with Kagami before, but she had never believed it until she was swept up in the emotion of Kagami finally showing all of her affection.

She lay her head against Kagami's shoulder, wrapped her arms around the bigger girl's neck, and nearly died from happiness as Kagami said, "You're pretty enthusiastic about this aren't you? Cute little Kona?"

Konata felt warm. It was hard to describe how you felt when suddenly every little worry that had ever caused you any sort of problem, just disappeared leaving you with nothing but happiness on the inside. It was a foreign feeling, and what could she make of Kagami's behavior? Did all of this mean Kagami liked Konata back? It had to, what other reason could Kagami have for her behavior?

Even so, now some worry crept back into Konata's heart. Something felt wrong about this. She was afraid for a moment, no, she was terrified that it would all be a dream, and she would wake up in her bed , cold and alone. This wasn't like the Kagami she knew, but maybe Kagami was finally just being open with her feelings.

The two girls finally reached the breakfast table, where Kagami set Konata down on her end of the table, and then walked back across, and sat down before her meal. Kagami looked happy as she examined the food, which made Konata's stomach feel all fluttery. Then Kagami began eating, and took the time to tell Konata how great it was after almost every bite.

By the end of the meal was nearly finished Konata could feel her face burning, and almost couldn't believe it was possible to be as happy as she was right at that moment, with the woman she loved. She allowed herself to forget her previous worry, and just enjoy being with the younger girl she cared so much about. Konata found herself staring at Kagami, and growing hotter every time Kagami complimented her cooking, or gave her that cute smile.

Konata didn't know what she had done to release the floodgates on the dere-dere pent up inside her Kagamin, but she loved it. She relished the time that Kagami's eyes rested on her. Konata felt like she was suffocating from the strength of her feelings being fully awakened.

Konata thought to herself, "I love her. I really do. Should I tell her now? Is she about to tell me? What if I'm over thinking this, and she's just being really nice? Maybe I should wait. I just want her to hold me again."

Konata noticed Kagami empty her glass of milk, and Konata rose to fill it back up, and hopefully keep Kagami happy. She walked over, and picked up Kagami's glass, and started walking towards the refrigerator. Konata thought that maybe she'd make breakfast for Kagami a lot more often if she was going to feel this great afterward.

That was when she felt Kagami's strong hands gripping her from behind. This grip was unusual. Kagami's fingers were digging painfully into Konata's shoulders. The grip should have been hurting Kagami's fingers as well, but the bigger girl didn't seem to notice as she spun Konata around, and pinned her against the counter near the sink, causing Konata to cry out in surprise, and drop the glass she was going to put Kagami's milk in.

As the glass shattered on the ground, something happened that Konata didn't understand, the entire atmosphere of the room had changed. Even the rain pounding on the roof seemed more ominous. Konata looked into Kagami's eyes which she could usually read like a book, but for some reason she couldn't get anything out of them now, like Kagami had completely changed her way of thinking, and her tells somehow.

Kagami looked her in the eyes, and said seriously, "Where are you going?"

Konata answered, now very concerned for her friend, "Kagami? Is something wrong?"

Kagami said angrily, almost yelling, "Answer the question!"

Konata responded nervously, "I was going to refill your milk Kagami. Are you okay?'

Kagami pushed on Konata harder, painfully pushing the smaller girl's back against the counter. Kagami stopped for just a moment, and a look of worry came over her. She pulled Konata in close, and sounded nearly distraught when she said, "I'm sorry Konata. I thought you were leaving. You're not going to leave are you?"

Relief flooded into Konata, she had been worried Kagami didn't care about her after all. Her body was still feeling really hot from her closeness to Kagami, but she hugged the bigger girl, and told her, "I'm not going anywhere Kagami. Don't worry because you'll always have me."

Konata immediately felt dread after saying that, because Kagami's rough grip returned, except this time she wasn't pushing Konata against the counter, trying to stop her, this time she was squeezing the smaller girl in an embrace that made it hard to breathe. The heat coming from Konata's body was nearly unbearable, but she allowed herself to get wrapped up in the bliss of Kagami holding her so closely.

Kagami teased Konata saying, "You're so red Konata. What's the matter? You embarrassed at being so close?"

Of course Konata's blush deepened from the provocation, and she felt like her face was going to melt off when Kagami relaxed her grip, and moved her face in close to Konata's. Their lips were almost touching, Konata was one dumb remark, or a particularly large exhalation from kissing Kagami on the lips. Konata began trembling again, and felt awkward as Kagami asked her, "What are you shaking for Konata? Is there something you want? Something only I can give you?"

Konata didn't want to say it. She was too embarrassed to form words. Also she knew Kagami knew what Konata wanted. She was just teasing, and the teasing was actually starting to make Konata feel bad. Kagami had never acted this way before, and Konata was becoming less and less certain she liked it. Konata forgot her resistance though as Kagami held Konata's hands, entwining their fingers, and asking Konata again, "What do you want Kona? Just ask, and maybe I'll give it to you."

Konata stuttered, she could almost feel tears forming from her embarrassment, as she managed to get out the the word, "Kiss."

Kagami grinned a big grin at Konata. She let go of the smaller girl, and stepped away, breaking contact.

Konata's heart sank as Kagami let her go. She supposed she had been wrong about Kagami's feelings. She had never been good at understanding feelings to begin with. Kagami turned back to the blue haired girl, and said in a teasing manner, "Kiss? You want me to kiss you?"

A few moments of silence passed, and Konata realized Kagami was waiting on an answer, so she said, "Y-Yeah."

Kagami smiled at her friend, and for a moment, Konata's heart skipped a beat, Kagami looked happy. She was moving in closer. Konata couldn't believe it, she was finally going to kiss the girl of her dreams. Kagami moved her face in close to Konata's once more, and parted her lips. Konata couldn't wait anymore, she attempted to close the last inch of distance between their mouths.

Kagami moved backwards, and laughed. Konata felt her heart sink as Kagami said teasingly, "No."

Kagami turned away from her smaller friend, and continued talking, "Why would I want to kiss you? You're short, and you're annoying. Even if I was into girls I could find a much better looking one like Miyuki, or Kuroi-sensei.

The tears formed, and nothing Konata could do would hold them back this time. She nearly collapsed, and felt weak all over as they flowed freely. She sobbed loudly, and asked Kagami weakly, "Why?"

Not only had Kagami not been interested in Konata, but she had been teasing the smaller girl for fun, even after somehow figuring out Konata's feelings. Then she suggested being with someone else just to upset Konata further. Konata couldn't handle any more. She cried, and tried to push everything away. This wasn't her Kagami, this was some horrible thing that just looked like her. It was her doppelganger, Kaga-MEAN. Konata almost wished she had never made any friends who could hurt her like this.

Kagami grabbed Konata roughly, and pushed her up against the counter again. Her vein was sticking out, and she yelled at Konata, "STOP! STOP CRYING!"

Konata couldn't stop though, even when Kagami hugged her closely again, she didn't stop sobbing.

Kagami didn't understand what was happening, and she was pissed. Konata wasn't supposed to be crying. That ruined the whole thing. She was supposed to keep blushing. Kagami wanted to see her embarrassed and awkward. She tried hugging the smaller girl since that had worked before, but the blush didn't come back, and she got even angrier, and began screaming at Konata, "What's wrong with you! Do it right!"

She still couldn't understand, so she decided to try and hit the smaller girl on the head since that had always calmed her down before. Kagami brought her fist down on top of Konata's head as hard as she could, knocking the smaller girl to the floor, and cutting her legs, and hands Konata used to catch herself on the shattered glass shards still on the floor. Konata continued bawling unabated. Kagami hit Konata again and again, wondering why nothing was working. When hits on the head didn't work, she tried to hit Konata in the ribs, trying desperately to get any reaction out of Konata other than her crying. Kagami HATED it when Kona was sad. When Konata just kept crying, she gave up, and sat down on the floor next to Konata, now frustrated to the point where she herself felt tears flowing.

Kagami just couldn't understand why Konata wouldn't just play along a little longer. In one last attempt, she pulled the smaller girl in close, and placed their foreheads together again. As their faces touched, Konata almost immediately stopped sobbing, her tears continued though. Kagami was thrilled, had it worked? Would she get to tease Konata some more? She wanted to see more of Konata's cute blushing.

Konata said quietly to Kagami, "You're hot."

Kagami grinned, happy to get another chance to tease, and aid, "I knew it. You're always thinking those kinds of things about me. What am I going to do with you?"

Kagami pulled Konata in a little tighter in their embrace, and became annoyed when Konata's blush didn't come back. Konata just said in a serious tone that pissed Kagami off even more, "You're really hot."

Kagami felt like that vein in her forehead was about to burst, she screamed, "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

Kagami tried to strike out, but found that Konata had grabbed her arm quickly mid swing, and was standing, pulling Kagami up along with her. Kagami tried to punch Konata with her other arm, but Konata grabbed it, and spun around behind her, forcing it up against Kagami's own back. When Konata lifted a little on Kagami's arm, it hurt, and forced her forwards a little. Konata told Kagami, "Go, walk to the bathroom, and then we'll get your clothes off."

Kagami was horrified for a moment, she hadn't considered rape might be on Konata's mind, and with her martial arts experience, there was hardly anything Kagami could do against Konata if she was serious about hurting Kagami. Kagami's anger turned to panic, and she started struggling, screaming desperately, "HELP! LEAVE ME ALONE KONATA! I DON'T WANT TO DO THOSE THINGS WITH YOU! HEEEEELP! PLEEEAAAASE!"

Konata forced the now hysterical bigger girl up the stairs, and into her bathroom. It took all of her strength to keep her friend in the arm lock. Almost all of her previous pain had now turned into worry over Kagami's behavior. No matter how hard Kagami struggled, she just couldn't free herself, she was now sobbing, afraid of what Konata would do to her. Kagami started apologizing for teasing, and said she'd even kiss Konata if she'd just let her go.

Konata turned Kagami to face her, releasing the arm lock, but quickly had to grab her taller friend as she tried to bolt for the door once the pressure was off of her arm. Konata placed her leg behind Kagami's, and while she was pulling Kagami towards the tub, Kagami was pulled over Konata's leg, and forced off balance, which made it easy to maneuver her into the bathtub.

Kagami screamed her rage, and hatred, and fear at Konata as she was forced down into the tub, and Konata managed to pull Kagami's clothes off, and start running cold water while holding Kagami down, afraid of letting her go before she calmed down. Kagami was screaming about how the water was burning her, she screamed that she hated Konata, and screamed in pain. After a few minutes, though the taller girl wrapped her arms around Konata, slowly, and gently so Konata wouldn't misinterpret it as Kagami trying to escape.

Konata was worried sick, and nearly started sobbing again when Kagami suddenly stopped resisting, and put her arms weakly around Konata. Konata looked into her friend's face, trying once more unsuccessfully to hold back tears as she saw Kagami's eyes. They were readable again, and Konata could tell that some small bit of clarity had come back into Kagami's mind as she calmed down.

Kagami's crystal blue eyes were looking into Konata's. They were only half lidded, like Kagami hardly had the strength to open them all the way. They were filled with fear as Kagami desperately started seeking shelter from her fear in her friend. Kagami started crying earnestly in fear, and moaned out, "Konata...I'm scared."

* * *

**Author's Note:**Well, sorry this took so long to get out, but I had a pretty important audition, and have already been accepted into the callbacks for a role as Cyrano De Bergerac. Hopefully I'll get the role, but if I don't oh well, there are other auditions. As far as the story goes, thank you for the reviews of course, and also I'd like to thank you all just for taking the time to read it. A story without readers is of course, like a play without an audience, useless. Next up, I hope you continue to read, and tell me how I can improve my writing. I want this to be as great as it possibly can.

Also there are a couple references in this chapter, but not many. One is simple it's Gundam Wing with the vowels replaced with *. The other is a little harder, but not much. When Konata is thinking back to her previous thoughts of, "What's this feeling I'm feeling?" it isn't a reference to anything that has happened in my story, it's referencing Konata's inner thoughts after the anime music concert in one of the episodes of the original anime after Kagami had switched places with her, so that she could see better even though it meant Kagami would be blocked by a big guy the entire concert.


	11. A Rival!

Chapter 11 A Rival!

Konata nearly fainted when she removed the thermometer from Kagami's mouth. The digital display in her freshly bandaged hands read 39.44. This was right after Konata had removed her from an ice cold bath, and laid her in bed with a cold wet rag on her forehead. She wasn't actually sure what to do. Yu-chan got sick all the time, sure, but it was never anything like this.

In times like this she turned to the place that always comforted her. The internet. She got on her computer, looking back to Kagami who had passed out in her bed not long after laying down. She impatiently waited for it load from standby mode, and as soon as it did she clicked her browser shortcut furiously accidentally opening multiple windows, and causing even more lag.

Konata closed out the two extra browser windows, and immediately began researching Kagami's symptoms. This was one of the times she desperately hoped her teacher would be online, but there was no such luck. Konata found a lot of things telling her to do what she had already done, and wait a few hours to see if the fever went down, but Konata wasn't sure she could survive a couple hours under this kind of stress.

Since she had woken up, her emotions had gone through so many extremes she felt like she was on the verge of collapse. Konata was still hurting badly from her heartbreak, and now that she knew Kagami was only acting that way because of her fever, the heartbreak felt even worse because Konata was dumb enough to think Kagami could actually like her back.

The night before Kagami had made it perfectly clear to her, Kagami didn't approve of Konata's personality, and since she knew she wasn't going to win her friend over on looks, that was pretty much the end of her dream of being with Kagami. Not to mention how sore her head was from the pounding Kagami had given her, and her ribs burned every time she bent over, or leaned to the side. Even so, none of that mattered right now. If Konata hurt, then so be it, but Kagami was her best friend, as well as the girl she was in love with, and there was no way she was going to let the fever get any worse.

Konata left the internet disgustedly, and re-dampened the rag on Kagami's head. After a little thought, she fetched an electric fan from her dad's room, hoping he wouldn't mind she had gone in there without asking. She set it up blowing on Kagami's face from a big stack of manga. Kagami didn't stir, but Konata thought she could see a little of the red leaving Kagami's face, although that could easily be her desperately wishful thinking.

If the fever persisted, she was going to call 1-1-9, and have them send an ambulance. Konata really hoped it would go down though. She didn't want anyone taking Kagami away from her right now. Konata sat and stared at Kagami's face while she waited for an hour to pass. She wanted to play a video game or something to pass the time, but didn't want to disturb Kagami with any noise. At least fans made neutral noise that made it easy to rest.

A couple times in the next hour Kagami started trembling, and tensing up, but each time Kona moved in close, and began stroking the girl's hair until she calmed down. Nearly an hour had passed since Kagami had been put in bed, and Konata decided to check her temperature again. The new readout was 38.94. Still high, but it was better than before. Even so Konata didn't relax. She tried to think of anything else she could do to lower her friend's temperature, coming up with nothing.

Konata didn't want to leave Kagami's side, but decided she had better clean up the glass in the kitchen, and maybe that would help pass time. Konata headed downstairs, and fetched a broom and dustpan, sweeping up the glass shards, and then coming back with a wet sponge to mop up her blood that had gotten on the floor.

The cuts weren't very bad, but they still stung pretty fiercely. She re-pulled the bandages to keep them tight, and then decided to head back upstairs, and check on Kagami again before cleaning up in the bathroom. Konata pulled her computer chair up next to the bed Kagami was in. She felt herself growing tense again as she remembered the events in the bathroom.

Kagami had looked scared. She had asked Konata to help her, and Konata just hadn't known what to do. Her friend was crying in agony and fear, and all Konata could do was hold her close while her love cried onto her shoulder. Konata had whispered things to try and comfort Kagami, she had made shushing noises, and tried to get the other girl to relax, and slowly it had worked.

Kagami had relaxed, and leaned back in the tub, shivering. She sat there for a while, and nearly cried out once when Konata had let go of her for a second. Kagami had really needed someone to comfort her right then. Konata guessed it was only her comforting Kagami because she was the only one around. She was pretty sure Tsukasa, or Miyuki would have been able to comfort her better, but Konata still did the absolute best she could.

When the bigger girl had cooled down enough to start talking clearly, she had told Konata she was scared. She had asked Konata not to leave her. Then the fever came back for a moment, and she begged Konata to let her out of the tub. Konata cried as she forced Kagami to stay, and Kagami cried, asking Konata, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Finally after what seemed an eternity Kagami had calmed down with no more lapses. Konata had helped the taller girl out of the tub, and now Kagami could hardly stand up on her own. Konata had to help Kagami put on her shorts, they didn't bother with Kagami's underwear, and since her shirt was still bloody from Konata's previous grip on it. So Konata had helped Kagami into the bed just like that.

Konata felt a blush spreading across her face as she thought of Kagami's nearly naked figure under the blankets in front of her, but quickly shook it away since there were more important matters at hand. Things like trying to figure out why she hadn't noticed the fever earlier. Kagami had pressed her face up against Konata's other times, but Konata hadn't noticed it from the heat that had taken over her body when Kagami held her close.

Konata herself hadn't been able to think clearly while Kagami had been so affectionate towards her. She had been so wrapped up in her happiness she had forgotten about her friend's health, all she had been worried about was the next time Kagami would hold her.

Konata nearly fell off the stool when her cell phone suddenly rang. She scrambled around, trying to find it before it woke Kagami up. She found it behind her computer monitor for some reason. She answered to hear Kagami's older sister Matsuri on the line. She thought it was odd for Matsuri to call her since she had never given the older girl her phone number. Konata recognized her call coming from the Hiragi house phone though, so maybe Tsukasa had given it.

Matsuri was her usual blunt self as she said to Konata as soon as she answered, "Hey, let me talk to Kagami."

Konata paused a moment before saying, "I can't, she's sleeping-"

Matsuri cut her off, saying loudly, with a tone of annoyance that Konata instantly recognized from Kagami, "Well wake her up! This is important. Tsukasa needs to talk to her."

Konata glanced over at Kagami, and felt herself growing angry at the girl on the other line, and she said, "I don't care who needs to talk to her. Kagami's running a fever, and she needs rest badly right now. I'm not going to wake her up unless it's pretty damn important!"

Matsuri was silent on the other end for a moment before sighing, and saying, "Really? She's sick too? What's her temperature at right now?"

Konata said, "Hang on, I was about to check it again when you called."

Konata sighed with relief as the thermometer adjusted to Kagami's new temperature. It wasn't safe yet, but it was definitely going down. She told Matsuri, "38.33 right now. It's gone down, good. Still, it's really high."

Matsuri sighed once again, causing Konata to notice another similarity between her and her younger sister Kagami. Then Matsuri said, "Jeez. She's up even higher than Tsukasa is. You'd better be taking good care of her, I'll pound you if something happens to Kagami just because you were too lazy to get her a wet rag or something."

That statement made Konata angry, but she let it slide as she was now asking, "Hey. Is Tsukasa sick badly too? Is she okay?"

Matsuri replied, "Her fever is pretty high, but she's going to be fine as long as she rests. About an hour ago though she just started wigging out, and demanding to talk to Kagami. Kagami's always there when she's sick, so when her fever got high, she probably just got scared, and wanted Kagami close."

Konata almost chuckled, which she was sure would make Matsuri, and even Kagami angry if she were awake. She couldn't help but think of twin telepathy. Maybe they had it after all. Their timed sickness, and Tsukasa's worry certainly did seem a little too coincidental.

There were a few moments of silence where both girls who never interacted much were trying to think of something, when Matsuri broke the silence, saying, "Well, I guess I should come get Kagami then. It'd be better for her to be home right now."

Konata almost panicked at this suggestion, she didn't want anyone taking Kagami from her right now. She was going to take care of Kagami, she had to make sure that Kagami got better, and so she said into the receiver much louder than she meant to, "No!, you can't!"

Matsuri apparently picked up on Konata's tone because she seemed annoyed when she responded, "Why not? Don't think I didn't hear that tone. Kagami's told me about you, if you're doing anything weird-"

Konata interrupted her saying, "No, it's nothing like that. Kagami said she wanted to stay with me, that's all."

Silence greeted her for a few seconds before Matsuri said, "She actually said that?"

Konata replied, "Yeah."

There was another awkward silence, and Konata was glad for it. She needed to focus so her nervousness about lying to Matsuri wouldn't show through. After a few moments of hearing Matsuri saying something muffled to someone else she came back on the line, and said, "Alright, fine. I'm still coming over there though, and bringing her new clothes since she didn't bring enough with her to stay another day mom said."

Konata's stomach tightened. Matsuri was coming over? She didn't want that girl anywhere near Kagami right then. Konata wasn't particularly close to Matsuri, but she knew the older girl was always making Kagami angry, and picking on her. It was one thing when Konata did it, but it made Kona uncomfortable to see it from Matsuri.

Even so, Konata didn't have any clothes that would fit Kagami, so she said, "Alright. That's fine, do you already know how to get here?"

Matsuri answered positively, and then hung up without saying goodbye, leaving Konata to just worry about Kagami in the meantime. Konata had a headache now. One more problem seemed to be piling up after another. She sat next to Kagami for a few minutes, wishing her lavender haired friend would just wake up, and yell at her, or smile at her, or anything to just let Konata know she would be okay.

Konata decided it was time to go clean up the bathroom now. She went, and dried the water up off the floor, and drained the tub since she hadn't done that when her and Kagami had left the room. She could still see a little of her blood mixed with the water as it drained. After that she just went back, and stared at Kagami some more, while listening to the rain.

Kagami began shifting uncomfortably, and Konata worried, thinking she was about to throw another fit, but when Konata held her hand, and began stroking Kagami's hair, the taller girl calmed down, and went back to resting. Konata was a little happy, at least she wasn't going to have to call an ambulance. She didn't know how well she would have held up to seeing Kagami in a place like that, hooked up to all those machines.

Konata jumped as Kagami spoke, startling her, she said, "Konata? What happened?"

Konata felt a lot of emotion coming back, but she held back the quiver that tried to enter her voice as she said, "You're sick Kagami. Don't worry about anything, and just rest."

Kagami closed her eyes for a moment, not bothering to remove her hand from Konata's, or stop the blue haired girl from stroking her hair. She opened her eyes again, and looked Konata over, saying, "You don't look so good. Are you sure you shouldn't be the one in bed?"

Konata responded teasingly in spite of herself, "Well, if it's that bad, I suppose I could get in bed with you. Would that make you feel better Kagamiiin?"

Kagami didn't blush or get angry at this, she just smiled at Konata, and said, "Thanks. I really needed that."

Konata felt much better now that Kagami was awake, and speaking. It was almost enough to make her forget her worries, and just tease Kagami like she always did. Still, she stopped herself, she didn't want Kagami's fever going back up no matter how much she might enjoy the other girl's reactions.

They were silent for a while, until Kagami said, "I'm starting to hate this rain."

Konata replied, "Yeah, me too. Any other time, I could have made us a picnic, and we could have eaten in the park."

Konata looked at her friend, who was blushing for some reason, as Kagami said, "Yeah. That sounds nice. I could really go for some sweets right now. You wouldn't happen to have anything like that would you?"

Konata perked up, now this was something she could definitely help Kagami with. Konata went to her computer desk, and opened a drawer, then she pulled out a bag with some miscellaneous candies in it. She explained to Kagami, "I keep these to help my energy levels when I'm up all night on raids."

Kagami smiled at her friend, and said, "Of course. Anyways thanks. Mind if I have those panda cookies?"

Konata opened the bag, and took out a small silver paper pouch, and then walked over to Kagami, and handed them over. Kagami picked up the pouch, and tried to grip it, and pull the paper apart, but she was too weak. Konata seeing her friend struggling, gripped Kagami's hands, and helped her open the pouch.

Kagami lay back against the big pillow on Kona's bed, and started eating the panda cookies, still blushing. Kagami could hardly focus on anything since she was so weak, and so it startled her when Konata placed her hand on Kagami's forehead. Kagami winced, and said, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Konata said to Kagami in a reassuring tone, "It's okay, I'm just seeing how warm you are."

Kagami felt Konata's rough hand on her forehead, and it comforted until she remembered, Konata's hands weren't rough. They were smooth, and skinny, and she had that one little blue vein visible by her middle finger. Konata often joked it had developed from her constantly flipping off hard games she had trouble winning.

Kagami raised her left hand, and took Konata's hand in her own, examining the bandages, which covered the injury. Kagami knew the bandages probably made it seem a lot worse than it was, but she still couldn't help but feel terrible.

Konata seemed to read her friend's thoughts, and said, "It's okay, it doesn't hurt at all."

Kagami said quietly, "I did this to you, didn't I Kona?"

Konata couldn't help but think how much she loved it when Kagami called her Kona. Still, she answered, "No, Kagamin. I just cut it while I was slicing onions for the Miso soup this morning, it's no big deal."

Kagami responded, "You're lying."

Konata wasn't sure what to think of Kagami's depressive streak. She didn't have long to think though before Kagami said, "I remember. Maybe not the whole thing, and what I do remember is fuzzy, but I remember hurting you Kona. I'm so sorry."

Kagami could only remember feeling anger downstairs, and pain, she had a couple blurry memories of striking Konata, but her first real clarity didn't come until Konata was holding her in the bath, making sure she was okay, and trying her best to comfort the panicking girl.

Kagami started crying again, and Konata was worried her fever would start rising again. So reached out,and grabbed Kagami's forearms under the blankets, and she pulled her friend in close, hugging her despite how contact with Kagami's bare breasts made her feel like there was a fire burning inside her body.

Kagami cried into Konata's shoulder, not for the first time that day, while Konata said comfortably, "It's okay Kagamin, it was just a bad dream. It was your fever making you see things."

Kagami wanted more than anything to believe it had been a fever dream like Konata said, but she knew the smaller girl was lying. If it had been a dream, how would Konata have known about the Miso soup, and why would she be laying there almost naked, and still wet?

Kagami was glad Konata was there though, and hugged her friend as tightly as she could, not bothering to be embarrassed by her nakedness. She held onto Konata for ten minutes, even after she stopped crying, just because she needed the security of the other girl right then. Both of them were startled when a knock came from the door downstairs.

Konata said to Kagami, "That must be Matsuri."

Kagami asked quizzically, "Matsuri, what's she doing here?"

Konata said as she unwillingly let Kagami go, "She came to bring you some clothes, since I sort of told them you wanted to stay over here."

Kagami just nodded, and let Konata go. She didn't like to be left alone, especially right now, when she was all weak, but she knew Konata would be back soon. Knowing that made her happy.

Konata walked down the stairs, not in any particular rush, but she made it quickly enough, and opened the door as Matsuri was readying to knock again. Matsuri had two outfits in the same waterproof bags Kagami always used when she took clothes somewhere. She was holding her umbrella over her, and and awkwardly trying to reach her umbrella hand out to knock without getting wet when Konata opened the door.

Matsuri walked in without asking Konata if it was okay. Then stopped in the entryway to ask Konata where Kagami was. Konata said she was resting in Konata's bed, which caused Matsuri to give her a weird look, and say, "Your bed huh? Remember what I said on the phone, if I find out you've done something to hurt Kagami, you won't get off easy."

Matsuri was really pissing Konata off, and she responded, "I'd never do anything to hurt Kagamin! It's you I'm worried about! If you're going to do anything to upset her, you can just leave right now! I'm not afraid of you!"

Matsuri chuckled at this, and flashed Konata a menacing looking grin, and said, "Kagamin, eh? Is that your pet name for her? Still, a little runt like you may not understand it, but Kagami's actually really sensitive. If her feelings are hurt because of you, there won't be any helping you from my punishment."

With that Matsuri turned away from Konata, and called back happily, "Kay, thanks for telling me where Kagami is. Also, please don't come up there until I'm done. We have some private family matters to talk about."

As Matsuri walked away, Konata gave in, and let her legs tremble. She may have acted brave, but Matsuri had scared the hell out of her. She didn't want to think at all about what Matsuri's punishment might be if she ever hurt Kagami. That light brown headed girl seemed dangerous when something involving her sisters like this came up. Even so, Konata thought she could understand. If she thought someone had been trying to hurt Yutaka, she would want to beat them within an inch of their life, so maybe it was the same sort of thing.

Kagami looked up as Matsuri entered the room, and just stopped, staring at her younger sister. Kagami asked her big sister weakly, "What?"

Matsuri pointed, and Kagami slowly followed the line of Matsuri's finger back to Kagami's own bare breasts which were exposed since her blanket was only pulled up to her stomach. Kagami blushed, and immediately covered herself. Matsuri just said aloud, "I knew something was going on, wait till I get my hands on that runt."

Kagami told Matsuri, "No, wait, it's not what you think. My clothes were all wet from when she bathed me earlier. We didn't put my shirt on because it would be easier for me to stay cool like this."

Matsuri raised an eyebrow at her younger sister, deciding not to comment on Kagami admitting they had bathed together, or rather, Konata had bathed Kagami. For some reason, Matsuri had always pictured Kagami to be the dominant one, but she guessed things changed when noone was looking.

The older sister walked over to the younger one, and felt her forehead. It didn't feel much hotter than Tsukasa's had earlier, and their mother had said Tsukasa would be fine with rest. She supposed Kagami would be the same, and from the looks of her downstairs, Konata would take care of Kagami with a passion.

Still, she had some things that needed to be addressed. It was only a light shock for Matsuri to learn Konata and Kagami were together, all Kagami ever talked about was her little blue haired friend. To learn Kagami was involved with a girl though was different than suspecting. Still, her little sister came before her own agendas, so she asked Kagami, "Hey, are you sure you want to stay here? I drove over here in Dad's car in case you wanted to come home."

Kagami answered almost immediately, "No, I want to stay here with Kona if I can. Otherwise she'll be all alone in this storm until her dad gets back tomorrow."

Matsuri sighed again, thinking, "Kona, eh? So Kagami gave her a pet name too?"

Matsuri nodded to her sister, and said, "Okay, but remember, you can call, and have us come get you if you want. Also-," Matsuri suddenly started grinning that menacing grin she always wore when she was about to tease Kagami about something, "What's going on between you, and Konata? Come on, you can tell me."

Kagami found herself turning red, and stuttering, "N-Nothing, I don't know what you're talking about."

Matsuri pushed further saying, "Oh, come on. It's so obvious a kid can see it, you guys don't really think you're hiding it do you? She's worried out of her mind about you, more than anyone would be for 'just a friend', then I come in here, and see you naked in her bed, and talking about her bathing you."

Kagami was a deep shade of scarlet now, and could feel herself starting to get light-headed from the heat building back up in her face. Matsuri then said, "Oh well. I guess I was just imagining things."

Kagami sighed with relief feeling the heat drain out of her face, and then Matsuri looked serious for a moment, and asked Kagami quietly, "So, I guess if nothing's going on between the two of you, I can make my move then?"

Kagami stuttered, overcome with dread at that sentence, "What? What are you talking about?"

Matsuri grinned at Kagami, and said, "That Kona. She's pretty cute huh? I always did like the short, bubbly girls, and that blue hair of hers, I bet it'd be incredible to run my hands through it."

Kagami couldn't believe what she was hearing, was Matsuri confessing feelings for Konata, she couldn't be. Matsuri continued on though, ignoring the hurt look on her younger sister's face, saying, "Yeah, I've been checking her out for a little while now. I bet she's the rough type, who tries to dominate, but just gets all lovey-dovey, and enjoys it when someone comes along who can dominate her. I wonder if I can tempt her though. She seems pretty defensive of you."

Kagami could now feel anger rising up in her, but the vein of annoyance wasn't there, she was just pissed, and she found herself defending Konata, telling Matsuri, "No! She's not like that! Konata's sweet! She couldn't dominate a marshmallow, much less a person, you don't know what you're talking about Matsuri!"

Kagami's weak voice made her anger seem childish, there wasn't anything she could do about her big sister in this state. The heat was returning to her body, and it was once again hard for Kagami to think straight, as Matsuri said, "Well, I brought you some clothes. You enjoy your little sleepover with your friend, but I think I'm going to go down there, and lean in real close, and give her a nice, long kiss."

Kagami's anger was now unbearable as she tried to shout, but failed miserably, ending in a whine that only Matsuri could hear, "You'd better not Matsuri! Kona's mine! You stay away from her!"

Then Kagami felt her older sister's arms around her.

Konata was growing nervous down in the entryway, Kagami and Matsuri had been up there a while, and she couldn't hear anything they were saying. She didn't like not knowing what was going on with Kagami, and she felt like she'd give anything to have super hearing, or X-ray vision, or anything that would give her some clue as to what was going on up there.

Soon Matsuri exited the room though. She seemed different than when she had gone in, and Konata wondered what could have happened make her change. Konata also noticed that as Matsuri saw her looking, she put on her usual cocky, mocking attitude, and came downstairs like she owned the place.

Matsuri stopped in front of Konata, and stared into the smaller girl's eyes before pulling her in close, and hugging her tightly. Konata didn't know what to make of this action. She had had a retort for almost any sarcastic comment the other girl could have made, but she was completely surprised by this. Matsuri pushed Konata up against the wall near where Kagami's raincoat was hanging, and Konata almost tripped over their shoes as Matsuri began kissing her on the forehead. Matsuri trailed her little kisses along Konata's face, down her cheek, and paused above Konata's lips. Konata's body was now on fire, and she couldn't think of anything except the similarities between Matsuri and Kagami.

Matsuri lowered her face, and kissed Konata's neck as she began stroking the smaller girl's hair, and Konata moaned as Matsuri fondled her little chest. Konata couldn't think, she was in bliss, and agony at the same time. Konata's legs trembled, and she cried out as she lost the strength to stand. The contact was broken as Konata collapsed onto her knees, and sagged back against the wall breathing heavily.

Matsuri shifted down to her knees as well, and put two fingers beneath Konata's chin, raising the smaller girl's face to make her look Matsuri in the eyes. Matsuri whispered, "Come on Kona, you know you want it, just say it, and I can make you feel better than you ever imagined. I'm certainly much more experienced than my little sister."

Matsuri moved her face in close once again making Konata think she was going to be kissed on the lips, but Matsuri just whispered, "Say it."

Konata couldn't think at all through the heat, she wasn't in control of her mind or body. She couldn't stop herself from doing anything. Matsuri moved her face in closer, and Konata resisted as hard as she could, which just amounted to a small tremble. All she could think about was Kagami, Kagami kept flashing through her mind to the point where she thought she was seeing Kagami leaning in for a kiss.

Konata pursed her lips, readying them for the girl she loved, but Matsuri only whispered, "Say it."

"No.", Konata's response was barely a whisper, but it gave her strength. Her thoughts started coming back to her, and she said, "Not with you. I don't love you! I don't love you at all! Get away from me!"

Matsuri immediately backed up, and broke contact with Konata, smiling happily at the smaller girl who's body still felt as if it were roasting. Matsuri, simply said, "Good. If you had said anything else, I'd have beaten you within an inch of your life. I had to make sure you were dedicated to Kagami before leaving her here with you though. I gotta look out for my little sister. Anyways, see ya."

With that Matsuri walked out the door, shutting it behind her like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, and she left a dumbstruck Konata wondering what had just happened to her. Konata was now hoping she never had a fight with Matsuri, that girl was obviously insane.

Konata started when her front door opened again, and Matsuri said pleasantly, "Oh, I wouldn't tell Kagami about this if I were you, she's the type who would kill us both."

With that Matsuri left for good, leaving a crimson shaded Konata, weakly stumbling up the stairs to check on Kagami. When she arrived, she found Kagami relaxing in the bed apparently in a similar daze, leaving Konata to wonder what kind of crazy girl Kagami's older sister was. She thought to herself, "These Hiragi girls are gonna kill me one day."

Kagami was vaguely aware of Konata entering the room, but she couldn't bring herself to focus on the present as she kept replaying what had happened to her just a few minutes ago.

_Matsuri leaned in close to her younger sister, and kissed her sweetly on the forehead. She wrapped Kagami up in a tight embrace, and Kagami could almost feel the love pouring from the other girl's body like a river. She knew in that moment, everything would be okay. She looked up to her big sister, and tried to say something she couldn't remember, but she was stopped by the brown haired girl putting a finger to her lips, and saying, "It's okay Kagami. I accept you, no matter what. I'll never judge your love, you just need to make sure it's real."_

Kagami was tired, but she replayed those moments over and over as she slowly faded from consciousness.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry about dropping the shock bomb on you guys in the last chapter, but it was an important part necessary for my continuation of the story in the way I meant for it to go. Also if anyone feels I should change the rating up to M, I will do so immediately, just send me a pm, or post it in your review.

I know there were a couple things I wanted to address in this chapter, but for some reason the only one I can think of right now is the 1-1-9, if I'm not mistaken that's the emergency services hotline in Japan, pretty much japan's version of 9-1-1 here in the US.

I'd also like to apologize to the readers who pmed me, saying they were finished with my story after the last chapter. I really do apologize, and am saddened that my story has turned out in a way you couldn't stand. For those who are still here though, I'm happy you're still here, and will do my best not to disappoint you. Just tell me if you see how I can be a better writer as I take all criticism into consideration, and will always try to do my best for my readers.


	12. I Love My Friends!

Chapter 12 I love my Friends!

Kagami awoke a while later to find Konata still at her side, watching her. Despite her current weakness, Kagami felt relief. Konata made her feel happy. Konata made her feel safe. Kagami didn't like being so weak though. She wondered idly if Konata could make her angry, and bring Kagami's strength back, but she figured that would probably be a useless train of thought.

The lavender haired girl didn't like having to depend on anyone. People depended on her, and yet, was this so bad? Having Konata taking care of her, and pandering to her needs? She remembered how happy Konata had been to give Kagami her candy, it had been really cute. Maybe she could let Kona take care of her for a little while longer before she went back to her normal self after all.

Kagami looked up at the smaller girl, which felt odd, and said, "Hey Kona."

Konata looked startled for a moment before looking relieved, and she said, "Kagami, you're awake! I'm really glad."

Kagami blushed thinking, "Konata's been worried about me? Of course she has, I'm her best friend, why wouldn't she be?"

Still, Kagami was touched, it seemed Konata _could _care about something other than manga and video games. Kagami glanced at the clock, wondering how long she had been out, to find around five hours had passed. She paused for a moment to let that register, Konata's game console wasn't turned on, and her computer was in standby mode, and she was just sitting there. Had Konata really sat there doing nothing at all for five hours just because she was worried about Kagami?

She asked Konata, "Hey, what have you been doing this whole time?"

Konata responded happily, "Nothing really, just thinking."

Kagami replied, "Thinking? About what?"

Konata then said, "Well, when you're just sitting around, you know how the most random stuff just pops into your head? I was thinking about, what if there was an anime where the random thoughts took physical form, and wreaked havoc in some guy's household? It would have to be like an overly serious guy though. Maybe the thoughts that formed would come from his energetic little sister though, or something like that."

Kagami smiled, she should have figured it was something like that, and she was really happy too. She had been worried Konata was going to be all serious with her. She enjoyed the serious side of Konata in small doses, sure, but she really preferred her Otaku an Otaku.

Kagami responded to her friend, "Only you would think of something like that, but as I consider it, that could be a pretty cute anime."

Konata replied, "Uh-huh, and then of course the neighbors would be complaining about the strange noises, and property value would drop, and it would be called 'That Neighborhood', by the people passing by, but all that could happen after the anime ended so it wouldn't spoil the mood."

Kagami giggled, even though it had only been the night before, it felt like a lifetime since they had had a conversation like this. She had definitely made the right decision by staying with Konata. She doubted anyone at her home would have been able to cheer her up this quickly. As she thought about Konata though, she remembered the cuts, and the beating, and her melancholy returned. She felt like a terrible person, a terrible friend, and she felt her tears trying to return as she told Konata, "I'm so sorry Kona."

Konata cut Kagami off before she could go any further saying, "Don't. Just Don't Kagamin, I told you, it was just a bad dream okay? Besides, the happy Kagami is much more Moe."

Kagami's heart skipped a beat at the comment that would usually annoy her. Her sadness just seemed to disappear as she looked into those big green eyes. Kagami's mind went blank, and she could feel heat returning to her face. Konata must have noticed it too, because she moved in close, and started stroking Kagami's hair again, and holding her hand tightly. Slowly Kagami's body stopped trembling, and she relaxed back against the pillows, looking at Konata's worried face, wondering why Konata was even still there.

If Konata had done such horrible things to Kagami, she would have left. At least she thought she would have left. She actually wasn't sure at all how she would react. Kagami doubted noticing her friend's fever would be high up on her priority list though if the situation were reversed. Her thoughts were abandoned though as she realized another tremor was racking her, and Konata was stroking her, and whispering calming things to Kagami.

The bigger girl was a little scared, she didn't think she had ever had such a high fever before, but even so she felt better while Konata was close to her. More than anything right then, Kagami just wanted Konata to stay near her. The thought of Konata leaving her, and not coming back was something that nearly moved her into panic.

Kagami gripped Konata's hand back, and said, "Hey Kona, You don't have to just sit here with me. I know it must be pretty boring just waiting for me to get well enough for us to do something."

Konata kept stroking Kagami's hair, and smiled down at her friend, saying, "It's fine, It's fine."

Even now Konata kept her happy attitude, and Kagami wondered if maybe Konata wasn't really happy at all. Something seemed different now. Like Konata was looking at her in a different way than before. For a moment Kagami felt fear reasserting itself into her jumbled mind, and wondered if Konata hated her for what she did.

Kagami didn't understand her thoughts or feelings at all. They kept swinging from one thing to another, and it had made her very upset, and vulnerable feeling. Kagami liked to be in control of a situation, but right then she wasn't even in control of her thoughts. Her skill in analysis failed her, she couldn't read anything into her own moods, or even figure out how Konata was feeling.

Kagami said, "Well, How about we do something you want to do? I may not be able to play games with you, but I'm happy just watching, as long as we do it together."

Konata asked her seriously, "Are you sure Kagami? Won't the noise bother you?"

Kagami smiled at her friend's worry, once again thinking it was nice to have Konata making such a fuss over her. She considered that she might fake being sick in the future if she could this kind of attention from the smaller girl again.

It was only a few minutes later, that Konata had retrieved another computer chair from her Dad's room, and placed it next to her own, and while furiously blushing from her closeness to Kagami's figure, helped the taller girl get dressed. Kagami was now wearing the same athletic shorts as before since they hadn't bothered changing them yet since it was such a hassle, and a red shirt with a green kitten face on the chest with a small black stitch on the kitten's forehead.

Konata fired up her computer while Kagami watched, not exactly sure what all Konata was doing since Kagami herself didn't use computers that often. The first thing Konata did was bring up a web browser, which Kagami understood, but after that she started opening menus which quickly brought up web pages, and soon Konata had twelve pages open in her window, and was quickly scanning them for information.

Whatever Konata was looking for, she seemed to have found it because she mumbled, "Uh-huh.", and minimized her browser window, quickly double-clicking an icon on her desktop that caused the screen to go black.

When the screen came back on, there was a big loading bar down at the bottom, and a screen of a beautiful coral reef, and what looked to be a window telling different news about whatever it was that Konata had opened up.

The picture of the coral reef, changed to a picture of a large mountain disappearing into the clouds, and then what looked to be a big castle town, and Kagami found herself thinking about how hard it must have been to make pictures like that. Certainly beyond her own artistic ability. Then the screen faded, and when it re-lit there was a person in some heavy looking armor standing in an open field.

Konata rotated the camera so Kagami could see every side of her Soldier character. He seemed to be big, although it was hard to judge with no other things to compare him to. His name was Ragnar, and Kagami wondered for a moment why that sounded familiar. Konata started explaining a whole bunch of things about his clothes, and weapons that went way over Kagami's head, but Konata seemed to really enjoy explaining it, so she listened patiently, and wondered if this was what Tsukasa felt like when she was in class.

It wasn't long before she entered the game world though, and took control of her character, moving him through a forest that had trees hundreds of feet tall. Her character ran past a lake, killing small lizard creatures with a single swing, and Kagami gasped, and cried out, "Don't!", but it was too late as Konata targeted a squirrel running by, and dropped it with Ragnar's bow.

"What did it do to you?", said Kagami defensively, Konata didn't seem the type to just kill little animals for fun.

"Chill out Kagami, it's just a game,", said Konata, after that she continued, "besides, you have to kill them, and collect their furs if you want to be able to give clothes to the noobs. It's all for a good cause right?"

Kagami nodded, but said, "Well, don't do it again, at least the lizard things were attacking you."

Konata sighed, and continued through the forest, occasionally typing something into little windows that popped up. It didn't take Kagami long to realize Konata was talking to people, and she tried to follow the conversation. Just random monster killing wasn't interesting to Kagami, but she liked that Konata now seemed to be having fun. She was completely wrapped up in the game, but Kagami noticed happily, that every few seconds, Konata would glance over at Kagami, checking to see no signs of Kagami's fever had returned.

Honestly, Kagami felt much better, now that she was out of bed, but she was still incredibly weak. She doubted if she could even walk from one end of the house to the other without help. Even as Kagami thought of her weakness her head began drooping, and she felt dizzy, and began to think she may fall out of her chair, when Konata gently gripped Kagami's arm, and pulled her in.

Kagami began to blush lightly as she leaned against Konata, resting her head on the smaller girl's shoulder, which was only possible because their chairs were adjusted to different heights. She rested that way for a while, just soaking in the comfort that the older girl gave to her. While resting on Konata's shoulder, the effort of keeping herself upright faded away, and Kagami could focus more on what Konata was doing in the game.

Kagami found herself giggling at Konata's party chat window as much random conversation flowed through. Kagami giggled as one of her favorite people sent another message, and said, "I really like the guy who keeps laughing about everything. He seems nice."

Konata responded, "Yeah, he's cool. He's the only one who still keeps laughing even when we all die. That guy's a natural born troll."

Kagami asked, "Troll? That doesn't seem like a nice way to talk about your friends."

Konata laughed, and replied, "Sorry Kagamin, I forgot you don't know all these terms. Don't worry, sometimes trolls are annoying, and noone wants to be around them, but when someone is actually good at it, everyone just loves seeing what they'll spout next. On this vast internet of ours, there are some trolls who are so great, they can even come into a forum, post just one post of nothing but animal noises, and get mod status."

Kagami was now even more confused than before, but it seemed like Konata wasn't being mean to Gatongo, or whatever that name was, and Kagami was pleased to see him typing out his strings of "lololololol" over and over again as everyone was surrounded by some monsters he had drawn back to them.

Konata cackled happily as a voice came out of her speakers, startling Kagami. It had said, "LEEEEEROOOY!" but Konata had managed to turn her speaker volume down before Kagami could hear the entire message. Although she guessed it was something very funny by all the 'lol' strings that popped up in the chat window, and she even found herself giggling for some reason. Konata certainly did interact with some strange people, it was no wonder she seemed so odd compared to most of the other kids at school.

Even so, Kagami was really happy, just sitting next to Kona while she did what she always did. Kagami had never actually sat down to watch Konata's gaming sessions besides the ones she had participated in, but that other game they had played for a while was completely different from this one. That one had stylized, cute monsters, and while this game had a few of those, it had many more that were just monsters. There were zombies, and werewolves, and even a great big blue dragon that took a ton of people to beat.

Kagami found herself reaching over towards Konata, and gripping her arm in both of her hands after a while, causing Konata to look over at her. Kagami had latched on to the arm Konata used to maneuver the mouse. She blushed as Konata asked, "What is it Kagami? Are you getting bored? We can do something else, I'll tell the guys I gotta bail."

Kagami said quickly, "No. that's not it, I...I just wanted, well..."

Kagami trailed off, and looked away from Konata as her blush deepened, and she began to feel a little dizzy again, but Konata surprised her by saying, "It's Okay Kagami. I go one handed all the time when I eat and play."

With that Konata shifted the mouse over to the left side of her keyboard, and immediately typed one handed into chat that she was going into snacking mode, causing everyone to come in close to her since they expected her movements to become awkward. Even so, Konata hardly seemed to lose any speed by switching to her left hand. Instead of pressing the number keys at the top of her keyboard, she just clicked little pictures causing her character to perform the special actions he could do.

She seemed to move, by holding in both of the mouse buttons, and Kagami thought it was pretty convenient that the game designers had made each action have multiple ways of being performed. Although looking at the multitude of macros on Konata's screen, Kagami wondered how her blue haired friend had ever learned what each one of them did.

After a few minutes, Kagami just leaned in against Konata, letting the other girl support her body weight, or at least half of it, and hugged Konata's right arm while watching. Konata was now going through a cave, and there were what seemed to be giant crabs attacking them. Suddenly a huge version of the crabs Konata and her two companions were fighting seemed to come out of nowhere, and quickly brought down Konata's character, and then Gatongo's, and it seemed only a second later the third one went down, and Gatongo was just trolling away at how great that had been.

After that Konata sighed, and they bade each other farewell. Soon Konata had exited the application, and looked over at her clock, and exclaimed, "WHOA! It's already been three hours?"

Kagami quickly glanced over at the clock, it hadn't seemed like more than maybe an hour had passed, she had been wrapped up in the game as well she guessed. As Kagami looked back at Konata, she saw her little friend was blushing, but couldn't understand why until she followed her gaze down Konata's arm to where Kagami was hugging Konata's right arm, and their fingers were entwined as they had been holding hands. Kagami hadn't even realized she had done it, apparently neither had Konata.

Kagami forced herself to remove her arms from Konata, and sat up, saying, "Sorry."

Konata just grinned at her, and said, "It's okay Kagami I don't mind, but since it's getting so late I guess I should go make some supper, and bring it back up here for you. I'll be back soon."

Kagami found herself worrying now, she didn't want to be alone at all, Konata couldn't leave her up here, and she said, "No! I mean, I can sit downstairs with you while you cook."

Konata eyed her, and said, "I don't know Kagami, you're hardly strong enough to sit up, you probably shouldn't be moving around in case your fever spikes again."

Kagami wasn't going to be budged on this topic though, she wasn't going to stay up here by herself, even if she had to admit her feelings directly, so she sighed, and said, "I don't want to be alone Kona. Please let me stay with you."

Konata blushed, and Kagami enjoyed it, but didn't call attention to it, she wasn't teasing, she honestly just didn't want to be alone. Konata was muttering to herself for a moment, her feelings for her friend waging war with her responsibility to the bigger girl in her care, but eventually the feelings won out because Konata said, "Okay, fine."

Konata helped Kagami stand up, and Kagami quickly grasped Konata's arms again, holding her hand tightly, and leaning against her, causing Konata to end up carrying most of the bigger girl's weight. Kagami wasn't so weak she couldn't make it to the dinner table unassisted, but she was enjoying having Konata fussing over her, and also enjoying her closeness to the smaller girl.

Too soon it seemed for Kagami that she was seated at the dinner table, and Konata was busying herself boiling rice on the stove, leaving Kagami to wonder why she wasn't just using her steamer. The rice would get all soggy from boiling. Then she set about making some Ramen, throwing the rest of the green onions she had sliced that morning, and cooking a couple of eggs to go in it, as well as a few stalks of asparagus.

It seemed simple when compared to the other meals Konata had made for Kagami, but Konata knew Kagami was sick, and wanted to give her something easy to digest. She finished the Ramen at the same time as the rice she had purposely overcooked. Konata took a small bowl from a cabinet above her sink, and Kagami giggled when Konata had to use a stool to get the bowl, setting Konata to grumbling in annoyance.

While Konata started filling the bowl with rice, Kagami's stomach rumbled loudly and now it was Konata's time to chuckle while Kagami muttered in annoyance. The Ramen smelled great, but for some reason Konata didn't bring any over to Kagami, she just brought the bowl of soggy overcooked rice, and set it in front of Kagami.

Kagami was unsure what this meant for a moment, and when she looked up at Konata, the smaller girl said, "Eat it. Then you can have the Ramen."

Kagami recognized the soft watery gray paste in front of her, but she didn't really want to eat the Kayu. It was disgusting, and she knew it. Kagami thought maybe she could get out of eating it since Konata had been obsessing over her since she had awoken, so Kagami said, "I don't really have much room in my stomach Konata, if I eat this I won't get to eat any Ramen."

Konata looked worried about that for a minute, and Kagami thought her plan had worked, at least until Konata said, "Oh well Kagami. This will be easier for you to eat than the Ramen anyways. I guess if you can only eat the Kayu though, I'll just eat the Ramen myself, so it won't go to waste."

Kagami groaned inwardly, she wasn't going to miss out on that Ramen, especially if she had to eat the nasty oatmeal looking rice. So she steeled herself to just get the bowl down as fast as she could. Even so, she wanted to get back at Konata for forcing her to eat the Kayu. Kagami said quietly, "You too."

Konata responded, "Huh?"

Kagami looked from her rice gruel to Konata, and saw her face going blue. Kagami snickered inwardly, thinking, "Ah HA, SHE doesn't want to eat it either!"

Kagami then said, "Well, I'm not going to be the only one to eat this, that isn't very fair. So you can either eat it with me, or I won't eat at all."

Kagami enjoyed every second of Konata's squirming, and trying to think of an excuse to not eat the Kayu, but in the end Konata fetched another bowl, and brought it to the table looking it over as if it might attack her. Konata only paused for a moment to say, "Well...Dig in."

With that Konata raised the bowl to her lips, and drank some of the soft, watery rice, and when she couldn't stand chugging it any more, she picked up her spoon, and began spooning it in. It took a little over two minutes for Konata to empty the entire bowl, and say weakly to Kagami, "It's okay, it's good."

Kagami in this time had only managed to spoon down about a quarter of what was in her bowl, and it made it even harder to finish the rest with Konata watching her with her cat grin. Kagami could tell Konata was trying hard to not just outright laugh as Kagami struggled to eat the food. Soon though Kagami had finished the dish, and Konata chuckled as she picked up the bowls, and put them in the sink.

As Konata walked towards the stove, Kagami muttered under her breath, "Sadist."

Konata surprised Kagami when she responded to the comment that was meant to be unheard by the other girl, "Only for you Kagamin."

A few moments later, Konata had made the Ramen, and tipped the eggs off of their plate, and on top of each bowl. Konata dextrously turned without spilling a drop even though she was carrying two full Ramen bowls, and set one down in front of Kagami, and set the other down on her side of the table, and they dug in.

Kagami quickly forgot about her Kayu experience as she enjoyed the Ramen, leaving her egg for last as she let it soak in some of the Ramen juice for additional flavoring. Usually Kagami would have been up for two or three bowls of Ramen, but she was filled to bursting after just this one, which she thought might be related to her sickness.

Konata quickly cleared the dishes though, and put the leftover Ramen in the refrigerator. Kagami leaned back in her chair, feeling pretty sleepy after her meal, but found herself watching Konata go about the chore of cleaning the kitchen. Konata wiped down the stove burners, and washed the dishes, placing them in a plastic drain to dry out. Then she wiped down all of the counters with an efficiency that told Kagami Konata did this almost every day.

Kagami wasn't really the household chores type of girl. It wasn't that she didn't clean and cook, it was just that she had never been as good at it as Tsukasa had been naturally. The lavender haired girl found herself wondering how she couldn't be as good at something that they made look so simple. After that Kagami found herself thinking that Konata would be a great wife one day, and immediately began blushing at that thought.

Konata finished wiping down the counters, and turned to see Kagami's face turning red again. Konata's previous happiness at finally sharing a normal meal with Kagami disappeared, and was replaced with worry as she rushed over to Kagami to see if her temperature was going back up. Kagami seemed a little wobbly, but her redness quickly faded as Konata came near her.

Kagami told Konata that she was really tired, and just wanted to lay down. Konata didn't object at all, helping Kagami upstairs, and waiting while the other girl visited the W.C., and then Konata helped her friend into bed only after blushing furiously while helping Kagami change her shorts, and night shirt.

Konata made sure she was set up with the electric fan still blowing on Kagami in case her fever tried to rise up during the night. After that Konata dropped down on her futon, and shifted into a comfortable position, as she had the night before when she had been awakened by that terrible dream she had had.

It was only Nine in the evening, it seemed almost to Kona like a wasted night going to bed that early with so much potential for something awesome to occur, but she didn't dwell on it too long, she was exhausted. Her emotions were a complete jumble, and she didn't know what to think of anything anymore.

The only thing that had kept her going through the day was her recent realization of her love for Kagami. Without that, she doubted she would have been able to even stand back up when Kagami had knocked her to the floor earlier. It was only now, while she had a chance to relax, that she thought about how close she had really come to losing Kagami.

That thought made her feel sick in her stomach. She never wanted to think about anything like that again. Even so, she forced herself. Kagami had hurt her really badly that morning, and even though Konata wouldn't deny she was in love with the bigger girl, she was terrified. Tears started forming again as she remembered how badly Kagami had been able to hurt her, and so easily. She didn't want to hurt like that again.

Her best friend was so kind, and beautiful, and Konata had seen plenty of Kagami's incredible figure that day. Those thoughts made Konata's face begin heating up, but it didn't last long as her mind drifted back to if she could really risk trying to be intimate with Kagami. She wanted it more than anything, but she found herself at the same time honestly wondering if she could survive another heartbreak like she had had that morning.

Konata's thoughts were interrupted by two weak arms sliding around her stomach. Kagami had managed to sneak over to her unheard while Konata was wrapped up in her serious thoughts. Konata blushed at the unexpected warmth, and her heart began to beat quickly as Kagami wrapped her up in a hug, and buried her face into Konata's neck.

Kagami had dozed off for only half an hour before she awoke in a strange dark room, all alone, and scared before she remembered Konata was on the floor. She had moved quietly, trying not to disturb Konata as she slipped under the covers, and onto the futon with her blue-haired friend. She hugged Konata as tightly as she could in her weakened state.

Kagami instantly felt better, as all of her fear, and worries about being alone disappeared. Konata said quietly, "Kagami?"

Kagami buried her face deeply into Konata's neck, and whispered, "Kona, I really need you to be close to me right now. Please?"

Konata's blush had returned. With the recent events, Kona was all-too-aware of the body pressing up against her, and she felt some of that heat coming back that had struck her as Kagami had been affectionate earlier. Konata felt dizzy for a moment, and whispered, "Just a little bit longer."

Kagami held onto her friend, wondering what that response had been about, it hadn't sounded like it was addressed to Kagami at all. Now that she thought about it, this wasn't the first time Konata had said that. Kagami was curious, but decided not to ask since Konata was accepting her right then. Kagami was angry on the inside, she knew she shouldn't depend on Konata so much. Being weak like this scared her though, and for some reason the thought of being away from Konata in her condition was even more frightening.

Suddenly Matsuri's words came back to her, and she found herself lost on them. _Make sure it's real. _How could she do that? She wasn't even sure she loved Konata. She knew she loved being around her. She knew she thought Konata was attractive, and not just in a friendly way. When she was close like this to Konata's body she felt her mind going numb, but she loved the security Konata gave her.

Was that love though? She had some very powerful feelings for the smaller girl she didn't understand at all, maybe those were love. She had never been in love before, and Kagami wondered if she would just know if she was in love. Even if she was though. Would Konata love her? Kagami thought she might have had a chance at that before today, but she knew she had hurt Konata badly. Kagami wasn't sure if Konata could forgive her.

_Make sure it's real._

That again. Could she just ask Konata? She doubted the blue-haired girl would lie about something as serious as that, although she might try and avoid the question. Pushing it might drive Konata away from her though. Kagami felt herself growing cold as she wondered if it would be so bad to stay away from Konata for a while. She loved being close to Konata, but all these new feelings were scaring her badly. She had an urge to just get up, and leave right then. She could finally be away from all that fear. Finally be free of worrying whether she would be alone or not, besides, Kagami would need a lot of love. She was always lonely, and needed attention, she started wondering if Konata would be able to give her that.

Kagami was growing hot, and she had just enough clarity to realize her fever was relapsing, she was growing scared again, and angry at Konata for doing this to her. If Kona hadn't invited her over, none of this ever would have happened. She was pissed, she was really going to leave any second.

Kagami stopped trembling all of a sudden as she felt Kona's small hand stroking her hair, and quiet whispers telling her everything would be fine. The heat left her, and she felt the fan on her a moment later only now realizing Konata had been sitting up holding her while she had been thrashing. Kagami cried now, she couldn't even control her own body or thoughts. That was what scared her the most about Konata, even when Kagami couldn't control herself, Konata could.

She wanted desperately to be with Konata, but she was so scared of all the possibilities that came with it. She didn't want to lose her best friend, it would hurt her too deeply, but if it saved her from losing a woman who was her best friend _and_ lover, wouldn't it be a sacrifice she could make? What would her family think. Matsuri had already told her she loved her, and everything would be fine. Tsukasa, and Inori would never turn her away.

Her mother's reaction frightened her. That would be rough, if her mother didn't approve, Kagami didn't know what to do. Kagami then thought about her father. He had always been a stern traditional man, but she knew he loved her. He had always been there to comfort her her when she was hurting before. Even so, his reaction could possibly be the most important of all. Her father had the ability to take Kagami's family away from her if he chose. That wasn't something she would be okay through.

Kagami now realized Konata was lying beside her, still stroking Kagami's hair, and comforting her. Kagami could feel the heat slowly ebbing out of her body again. This time she felt drained as her fever left her. Now her mind was clearing up. Kagami was once again in control of her thoughts, even if her body was still weakened.

Kagami pulled Konata in close, and hugged her. Konata let Kagami hold on to her for a while in silence, and when Kagami finally released her grip, they lay side by side, staring up at the ceiling. Kagami moved back into the position she had first taken upon laying down, and rested her head on Konata's shoulder.

This silence was wrong, she knew it. With Kagami's mind clear, it was incredibly obvious to her that something was bothering Kona. It had been present all day, even when they had lightly been teasing each other in the kitchen. It was like a dark cloud had settled over Konata's person. She seemed like she was struggling with something on the inside. Kagami wondered if Konata hated her for what she had done once again, but brushed it aside, knowing if she was hated, she wouldn't be allowed to get close like this.

She had to get Konata talking, and figure out what this weight was Konata was struggling with. She couldn't think of anything that didn't seem too direct though, and with Konata in her current state, Kagami knew the smaller girl would just avoid a direct question about her feelings, so she decided on a different approach.

Kagami asked quietly, "Konata, can you tell me about yourself?"

Konata just answered back, "What are you talking about Kagami? You know me."

Kagami responded, "Actually I hardly know anything at all about you from before Tsukasa introduced us."

Konata just answered, "I don't really like to think about back then."

Kagami kept pushing though, and asked, "Why?"

Konata said, "I didn't have anyone. It didn't seem so bad back then, even though I wanted friends. Now though, after having you guys, there's no way I could go back to being alone. It hurts Kagami."

Kagami was surprised, she hadn't thought it would be so easy to get Konata talking, but now the floodgates were open, "Not having anyone to talk to, knowing that noone will ever call you makes you hate your own cell phone, so you just toss it away somewhere, and try to forget, but you can't throw it away because you hope maybe someone will eventually care enough to call you. "

Konata now gripped Kagami's arm in much the same manner as Kagami had gripped her own earlier. It seemed now Konata was the one who needed security. Kagami was glad Konata could open up, this was one of the things she had been worried about. This serious Kona, she seemed like suddenly she just got one problem too many, and now she needed to let it out before she could be the happy girl that Kagami wanted to see again.

Konata continued speaking, "Every day you go to school, and you don't even bother to talk to anyone because you know they just don't care about you. Suddenly it all seems stupid. I stopped studying because I couldn't see the point, and none of the teachers even said anything about it, they were just fine sending me off to some low class school, and forgetting about me, just one more kid through the system."

Kagami noticed the change in Konata's speech, when she changed from an objective sounding story, to something much more personal, and began relating her experiences. Kagami hadn't realized how much it pained Konata to be ignored, but now it was evident in her voice that she was getting to the part of this that bothered her. Kagami held Konata's hand gently while comforting her.

Konata continued, "And then I finally made one friend. She was the new girl, and I thought, maybe if I got to her first, she could be my friend, before she just saw me as a weird little nerd. So I took a chance, and introduced myself, and she made me happy Kagami. She didn't care that I was a nerd, she didn't care that I was short, she didn't even care that I was always bugging her about random thoughts I had. Everybody loved her, even though she said she wanted to be a mage, they just laughed with her, instead of picking on her. I wanted to be like her, I wanted to have friends that love me too. Even so, I was happy, even with just her as my friend. "

Konata paused for a moment before continuing on, "I was so happy that she was there, and to know she cared about me. My dad even got me to study, so I could make it into our school. I made it in easy. It surprised everyone, and a lot of people told me they were really happy for me. Then they all left. Nobody else came with me. I held onto my phone every day in case one of the people who had seemed happy for me would ever call, but they never did. Then I started to get angry. I thought they left me because they didn't care about me. I still haven't heard from any of them, so maybe they didn't care about me after all. That's about the time I met Nanako-san, we had actually played online together for quite a while, it was just coincidence that we happened to meet in person."

Kagami once again noticed a change in Konata's tone as she mentioned her homeroom teacher. Konata was obviously wanting to talk more about the friends she had, rather than the people she lost. Still, Konata kept talking now seeming to brighten up to a level Kagami enjoyed, "A new fighting game had just come out at the arcade, and I wanted to play it so badly. I waited in line with everyone else since they only had four machines. I waited for nearly an hour before I got to play, and it was really intense. I had some great matches until I heard my opponent say, 'KonaKona?' She had recognized the name I used from the MMO we played together. After that we started talking all the time, and playing games at the Arcade together. I never imagined she'd be my homeroom teacher later on."

Konata seemed to be feeling much better now, and Kagami was glad, Konata was looking at Kagami like her old self again. Her best friend was back, and nothing had changed. Kagami no longer worried that Konata hated her for what she had done. She would let Konata finish talking, and then ask what she had wanted from the beginning. Konata continued, "After I learned Nanako-san would be Kuroi-sensei, I worried that we wouldn't be friends anymore, but she still played online with me, and we talked even more often than before. After I started going to class, it wasn't as bad as before, because I knew she cared about me, and my grades, and she wanted to make sure I did alright. She started hassling me about my homework and stuff. I could have ignored her easily, but that's exactly what I had always wanted my Junior High teachers to do for me. Then came Tsukasa."

Konata smiled remembering the first time Tsukasa had spoken to her in class. She told Kagami, "I was friends with Kuroi-sensei, but I still didn't have any friends among the students. I had figured they were all the same as in junior high, and hadn't even tried to reach out to them, and so it really surprised me when Tsukasa made the first step."

Kagami was now very interested, this was a story she hadn't heard, she knew how Kona and Tsukasa became friends from Konata being overly violent with a foreigner, but she hadn't thought about how they might have interacted when they weren't friends.

Konata continued with her story, saying, "Yeah, she just wouldn't take the hint that I wasn't interested in talking to her. I had seen her in class, and knew she was an airhead. She hung out with Miyuki, who I looked at as Miss Perfect Prefect, and I had just assumed they were like really popular kids, who wouldn't care about me at all. Still, every single day that sweet little airhead came over to me as I was eating lunch by myself, and asked me to join her and Miyuki. I kept on declining, thinking they'd probably just want to talk about other people behind their backs or something, or maybe even make fun of me when they found out about my interests. I wanted to go, but I was just scared. I'm not good at making friends anyways. Then one day she came over, and asked me to join her and Miyuki, just like she had done every day, and Kuroi-sensei was standing by me. When I declined, she bashed me on the head pretty hard, and said, 'Go eat with them dummy, it's not good to always be by yourself.' I didn't really talk to them that much that day, but it was really a lot better not being alone."

Konata seemed almost exuberant now, talking with a fervor Kagami recognized whenever Konata was bragging about one of her friend's better qualities, like Miyuki's Moe Factor, or Tsukasa's just plain cuteness. Konata continued on, "I listened to them talk, and even though their conversations didn't make a lot of sense, I realized they were really nice people. I felt dumb for having thought about them the way that I did. I felt like I wasn't any better than all those kids who didn't want to be friends with me. I knew I could be friends with those two with no problem, and so one day after school, I followed Tsukasa, planning on asking her to be my friend. I don't know where you were Kagami, maybe a student council meeting. That was when she got to the train station, and a foreigner started talking to her, she seemed really nervous talking to him since he was so big and animated about everything, so I ran over, and took care of it. You know that story."

Kagami just nodded, and said, "Yeah."

Konata still kept going though, saying, "After we got away from the foreigner guy, she smiled at me sweetly, like she always does, and said, 'Thanks Kona-chan.', I was really happy Kagami. Your little sister is really something special, and without her, I never would have..."

Konata trailed off there, and Kagami was now curious about what she had almost said. Even so, a few of Konata's worries seemed to be gone now. She seemed much more like Kagami's usual Konata. Kagami resisted the urge to try and pull the smaller girl in for another big hug, she was really happy the old Konata was making a comeback. Konata concluded her story a moment later, saying, "Then we became friends. I wasn't worried about being by myself anymore. I know Tsukasa, and Miyuki are always going to be my friends. Also you promised me we'd be Best Friends forever, and I know you'd never leave me Kagami. Now that I think about it, I guess my troubles aren't so bad after all. The worst I have to worry about is you going ballistic, and beating me down for making you breakfast. That's not so bad."

Kagami suddenly felt annoyed at the return of Konata, and said, "It's a little too soon to joke like that."

Konata chuckled at her friend, and said, "Yeah, okay, I guess I could at least wait a day to get over it. Even so Kagamin. I love my friends. Without you all I wouldn't even be a person."

Now Kagami was relieved, it seemed Konata had forgiven her after all. She still had one very important question to ask Konata though. Kagami was growing nervous, but at least her fever had broken for right then, and she didn't need to worry about dissolving into trembles and shivers as she tried to speak. Their entire friendship might hinge on Konata's answer.

Kagami asked Konata as she hugged the other girl as tightly as she could, "Konata. How do you feel about me?"

Konata was silent, but in their close proximity, Kagami could feel Kona tense up, and she felt the other girl's heart begin to race as rapidly as her own. Konata tried to answer, saying, "Well, you're my best friend Kagami. I like you and-"

Kagami cut her off, her nervousness, and seriousness coming through in her tone, Kagami said to Konata, "I need to know Kona. I need you to tell me how you feel without holding back anything."

Silence greeted Kagami again. Konata stuttered something. Konata had begun trembling, realizing the seriousness of what Kagami was asking, there might be no going back to the way things were after her answer. Then Konata said, "Kagami. I love you."

Konata's trembling stopped, and she turned to face the bigger girl, and hugged her tightly saying, "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you, and even if I say it all those times, and I keep saying it all night, I can't come close to telling you how much I love you Kagami. You're the single most important thing in the whole world to me. If I didn't have you, then it'd be like I didn't have anything at all."

Even then Konata was holding herself back, she had wanted to say, that even if she filled her entire hard drive with a text document that said, I love you over and over again, and then she emailed it to everyone in the world, and they all emailed their copies back to Kagami, it still wouldn't be enough.

Kagami became more choked up with every word from Konata. Her tears were flowing, and she couldn't decide if they were tears of joy or pain. She was still so confused about her feelings for this smaller girl who loved her. Kagami's chest hurt terribly, and she felt like her heart might burst at any moment.

They lay there in silence, Konata was still holding her crying love, and then Konata said, "Kagami...You don't love me do you?"

Kagami's chest now felt even worse if that were possible, she stopped trying to hold her tears back, and just let the flood come, answering, "Konata. I don't know. I'm so confused."

Konata seemed disappointed, but she said quietly to Kagami, "It's okay,as long as I can be close to you, and in love with you, I'll be fine Kagamin."

Kagami couldn't respond. She was tired, her chest felt like it could just pop from all the pressure there. She wanted to cry, and scream at Konata, but she didn't know what she wanted to scream. It tortured her knowing her best friend might be in pain because of her. Kagami felt like her soul had been torn when she remembered the horrible things she had done to Konata, and even if Konata had forgiven her, Kagami hadn't forgiven herself.

Kagami still wasn't sure if Konata's love was enough, even if she did return the feelings. She would be giving up on all of her romantic dreams she had had since she was a small girl. There would be no hope for a knight in shining armor to come save her from her distress and loneliness. No growing old while she watched her children grow into adults.

It was too much for Kagami to handle right then. So she just sobbed into Kona's chest, "I don't know."

* * *

Author's note: Hey guys. This took longer than usual to get out due to work, and me not being used to writing really emotional scenes. Hopefully the dialogue in this chapter didn't come across as cheesy. I was trying to avoid that at all costs, but it may still have happened. I really, really want to thank you all for your reviews this time. They really do help me with the story, so please keep submitting them, and sending me pms on how I can improve.


	13. Heart Shaped Pancakes!

Chapter 13 Heart Shaped Pancakes!

Konata awoke in the morning, knowing immediately it was going to be a great day. She didn't think she had ever been this happy just to be awake. She felt really good on the inside because she had spilled all her feelings to Kagami. Kona had even confessed her love, and Kagami hadn't just given her a flat out "No.", like she had expected from the bigger girl. Her feelings hadn't been completely rejected, but they also hadn't exactly been accepted, but Konata's biggest worry of Kagami hating her for it was gone.

Kagami had accepted her love even if she didn't return it herself, and Konata knew she couldn't ask for better than that of her best friend. Also it seemed Kagami was interested in her as well, even if not to the extent of Konata's infatuation.

Despite the blue haired girl's outlook on the day though, she found it hard to get out of bed. Not because she had stayed up half the night talking with Kagami, and not even because she just wasn't a morning person. Her love's right arm was laid over Kona's chest, and her right hand was resting on Konata's left shoulder. Her Tsundere's left arm was under Konata's back , and wrapped around, to where Kagami was resting her left hand on the little Otaku's waist.

Kagami herself was snuggled up close to Konata, and had her face buried in the gap between Kona's right shoulder, and her neck. Kagami's warm breath tickled her neck lightly, and the smaller girl had to repress the urge to giggle every time Kagami exhaled. Konata had to fight every incredible urge inside her not to lean over, and kiss Kagami with everything she had, but she figured that would be a good way to lose the progress she felt like she was actually making.

Unable to restrain herself completely, Kona settled for wrapping her arms around Kagami, and shifting the bigger girl's head to rest on a pillow instead of Konata, while the little blue haired girl just stared into what she thought had to be the most perfect sleeping face ever crafted, by god, or gods, or whatever had created everything.

Kona thought that level of beauty, and cuteness just wasn't fair. How was it that everyone didn't just fall down at Kagami's feet, and confess how they found her beauty. Those eyes, were so perfect, they were like crystals, and Konata shuddered as she remembered how surreal it had seemed the first time she had seen herself reflected in them.

Kagami's messed up hair was even incredible to Konata. She viewed it as something rare and beautiful, only seen on occasion. It hadn't been brushed in a day, nor had it been put into pigtails since Kagami had gone to bed a whole day earlier. Kona found herself stroking her friend's soft hair, and blushed when it caused the bigger girl to snuggle in more closely to her.

The smaller girl's heart was beating furiously, and she wondered how she wasn't waking Kagami up with its' incessant pounding. It didn't slow its' beating even as its' owner relaxed back against the pillows, soaking in the warmth, and comfort the other girl gave to her. Konata felt like if you could live through heaven, it would be similar to what she was doing right then.

It wasn't too long though before Kagami's eyelids slowly opened, and Kona found herself looking into her own emeralds as they reflected off of Kagami's eyes. As the taller girl noticed the position they were in, with their faces almost touching, she blushed lightly, but didn't make any attempt to pull away. She smiled at Konata, and said, "Good morning."

Kona felt like her heart was just going to cramp up, and stop with how furiously it was beating at that smile. It was that cute smile Kagami wore when she finally talked her small friend into reading a light novel, or she saw something she thought was cute, but in the Otaku's mind it was a gift hand sculpted by Seraphs to bring joy to the people of the world.

As Konata looked around, she noticed that when she was with Kagami, everything seemed a little more beautiful. As if the whole world tried to look its best for that lavender haired beauty. Kona was brought out of her daze by Kagami saying quietly, "Hello. Konata? You in there?"

The blue haired girl hugged the other girl tightly, and said, "Good morning beautiful. Have I told you how much I love you today?"

Konata loved every second of Kagami's redness, and was even happier when the bigger girl still didn't pull away. She thought to herself that maybe her tsundere could be won over after all. Then Kagami said, "Don't Kona. I told you last night we can't get all close like this after we wake up."

Saying Konata was disappointed by this would be an understatement, but still the smaller girl reluctantly loosened her grip on Kagami, although she didn't release the hug completely. Kona decided to try and tease Kagami a little to lighten the mood, and said, "What's the matter Kagamin, am I driving you crazy?"

Kagami turned dark red, but she snuggled in closely to Kona, and used her right hand to press down the smaller girl's left, entwining their fingers while saying, "Maybe. I guess it's okay to stay like this for just a little while. I'm still feeling tired, so we can just pretend we didn't wake up right?"

Konata's chest swelled, that was something she hadn't expected at all. Kagami actually saying she wanted to spend more time like this with the older girl was like a miracle. She couldn't believe her luck, but she felt worried. Kagami had been affectionate before, and had broken her heart. The pain started coming back as Kona remembered it. She found herself pressing her hand against Kagami's forehead to check her fever.

Konata was disappointed, Kagami's fever was back, but even so it was nothing like it had been the day before. As Kagami shifted under Konata's touch some of her hair blew upwards, aided by the wind from the fan blowing on them, and tickled Kona lightly, making her forget any possibility of Kagami going crazy on her again. She just became wrapped up in the taller girl's beauty once again.

What was Kagami thinking, showing this cute vulnerable side to Konata? Konata had to fight with everything she had, not to roll over on top of her Kagamin, and force the event scene right there. The little Otaku blushed deeply, as she imagined Kagami's eyes fluttering open as Konata pressed against her body, kissing her sweetly. She almost died from a nosebleed as she pictured Kagami saying, "I'm a little scared, but it's okay...only if it's with you Kona-chan."

Kona was now scared. She felt like it was impossible to not do something she'd regret to the younger girl beside her. She was being driven crazy by the taller girl's sheer magnificence, and her proximity to that incredible body. The older girl made sure to purposely relax her breathing, and think things through, and after a few minutes she didn't feel as if her body was going to ignite any longer.

Konata managed to relax, and examine Kagami who seemed to be either asleep or very close to sleep at this point. Sure Kagami hadn't returned her love. Sure the taller girl had hurt her. Konata couldn't help but forget all of that when Kagami was close to her though. If this was the way her tsundere friend was going to apologize for stuff, then Konata thought she could forgive this beautiful girl for anything at all.

Kona felt sleep tugging at her again as she relaxed, but she tried to fight it since she wanted to watch Kagami a little longer, but as her breathing unintentionally matched that of the sleeping beauty beside her, she nodded off.

Konata awoke two hours later, feeling like something was missing. She rolled over searching for the warmth of her love, only to find Kagami's back to her. Kona wanted desperately to reach out and pull her friend in close again, but she knew Kagami wouldn't be happy about that. The smaller girl could sense the other girl's mood. It wasn't so great, Kagami didn't handle things she didn't understand very well, and Konata remembered the girl admitting much confusion in her feelings for her smaller friend.

Even so, Konata needed to at least speak with the taller girl, and so she asked, "Hey Kagamin. Are you awake?"

There was silence for a few moments, and Kona thought maybe she was asleep, and she was just imagining the dark cloud that seemed to be floating over Kagami's head. After a few moments of tense quiet though, the lavender haired girl answered, "Yeah."

Konata grew worried at the tone her friend had answered with. She didn't sound angry, she just sounded really drained, like she barely had strength to talk. The little Otaku immediately remembered to check the other girl's fever in case it had returned in full, but Kagami was only a little warm, and when Kona touched her forehead, Kagami shook the smaller girl's hand off, saying, "Stop that. No more touching, or hugging or anything like that."

Konata felt a little cold on the inside, she knew it wasn't going to last long, but she really wished she could hold her love again. Little Kona found herself longing for the other girl's warmth, and unbeknownst to her, Kagami was thinking the exact same thing.

Kagami was hurting very badly on the inside. She wanted more than almost anything to just roll over, and ask Kona to hold her again. When the older girl was there, everything was fine, and her confusion and pain disappeared. The bigger girl knew she had to face these feelings though, and it was about time to make a decision, and stand by it.

The Tsundere was terrified, and that was putting it mildly. So many new feelings had sprung up in her in such a short time, that getting angry at them just seemed stupid, and they were so powerful they were changing the very person she was. For the first time in her life, Kagami wasn't in control of herself, no matter how much willpower she exerted, she just couldn't act like everything was normal, and anger at herself for being so weak, was starting to leak out.

She wanted to scream in rage, to thrash, and break things, and to cry in fear and pain. Her physical body wasn't hurting, but she couldn't deny she was feeling the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. Kagami didn't know if she would even be able to survive it for long. Still, she couldn't come running to the girl who loved her for comfort every time she was scared and hurting.

The bigger girl knew that wasn't fair at all to Kona. Konata was in love with her. Kagami didn't doubt it at all. When she had looked into the Otaku's eyes earlier, and heard the happiness in the smaller girl's voice just to be talking to the tsundere she loved so much, Kagami had to exert all of her control to not just break down weeping in Kona's arms.

She couldn't imagine how bad it would hurt Konata to always have her love so close, and never return anything, and she refused to do something like that to her best friend no matter how much she herself was hurting. She'd rather die than hurt someone so important to her so badly. Once again Kagami wanted to weep, but with a lot of effort she managed to pull herself together, and tell Kona, "No more okay. I accept that you like girls Kona, and that's fine, but-"

Konata interrupted Kagami there, not bothering to try and mask the anger she was feelings towards the bigger girl as she said, "I don't like girls Kagami. Only you. You're the only one ever. I thought you realized that."

The pain racked Kagami's heart again, even worse than before, she really wished Kona hadn't said something so sweet to her. She couldn't hold it in any more, she needed to get it out somehow, but at least she managed to tell Konata, "Kona, can I be alone please? I really need to think."

Konata didn't want to leave Kagami alone, she could tell something was hurting her best friend really badly. Kona cursed her inability to read people's feelings as she reluctantly agreed to leave Kagami alone for a little while. She left her friend saying, "I'm going to make breakfast. I really hope you feel better Kagami. You know you can always tell me if there's anything wrong. I love you, I just want you to know that, okay?"

Kagami nearly wailed at Konata, "Stop saying that!"

The smaller girl responded confusedly, "Why Kagamin? What's the matter? If I deny how much I love you, it's the same as denying who I am."

Kagami could feel a lump in her throat pressing painfully as her tears rolled, and she held back sobs, could Konata honestly not see how much Kagami didn't want to be seen in such a pitiful state, so she said something she knew would hurt Konata. If the girl wouldn't just leave her, Kagami would drive her away, she said, "I know you keep saying you love me. What have you done to ever prove it though? All you ever do is tease me about my weight, and make fun of my cooking. You know how lonely I get, and you call me a bunny just to spite it. Even if I loved you back, you're so focused on manga and anime, do you really think you could pull yourself away from that? I need love Kona. A whole lot of it. Do you really think someone like you could give all that I need? Your little body couldn't even hold that amount of love, so just leave!"

There was no way the tsundere could turn and face the hurt look she knew was on her best friends' face.  
She couldn't understand why she had crossed the line like that. Kagami couldn't begin to fathom why she was actively trying to hurt Konata now. She had always tried her best not to push her friends too far, and now she was hurting the one she cared more about than anyone else. She only hoped she could hold back her sobs long enough for Kona to give up on her, or yell at her, or deny she ever loved Kagami in the first place. The taller girl could tell her blue haired friend was crying as she responded, "No Kagamin. I can't love you enough. I can't give you all the love you need. Don't ever think I don't know that."

There was silence for a few moments except for Konata sniffling audibly as she crossed the room over to Kagami, and hugged the girl tightly, forcing Kagami to look into her eyes as she smiled down at her love, and said, "But if you're worried about needing love. You're better off alone than with anyone else besides me. I know I'm obsessed with all that stuff. I know I'm not so great at understanding feelings. I also know you could have anyone in the world who's a million times nicer, and prettier than me, but I also know...there's nobody in the whole world, who can love you as much as I can Kagami."

Kagami looked into Konata's beautiful face, feeling terrible at making the smaller girl cry. Konata was still obviously hurt, as she was crying, her tears dripping down onto Kagami's face as Kona held her lovingly. Konata kissed her saddened beauty sweetly on her forehead, and said, "Love ya girl."

They broke contact a moment later, and Kona began walking towards her door. Going to cook breakfast while Kagami thought about her feelings. Konata didn't want to let Kagami go, her love was hurting too badly to be left alone, she knew, but she also knew Kagamin needed time to think.

Kagami wept quietly as Kona shut the door, leaving her to think. The distressed beauty wanted to call out to the smaller girl, wanted her to come back, and say she loved Kagami again and again. She wanted her Kona back, but she steeled herself, knowing that if she got closer to Konata she would only end up hurting the smaller girl even more than she already had.

More than anything in the world, Kagami was scared she was going to break Konata's heart. By clinging to the smaller girl, she knew she had given Konata a real hope that they might be together, but Kagami couldn't bring herself to admit she loved Konata in that way. She was too afraid of what might happen if it didn't work, or if her family was taken from her.

She needed to distance herself from Konata until things could finally go back to normal. Kagami was sure that beautiful little runt could find a much better lover anyways. Kagami stood, still a little shaky. She looked around her best friend's room, walking, and trailing her hands along the manga on the smaller girl's bookshelves.

She wanted to remember all of this for what was coming next. Kagami thought it would be a long time before she was back in this room. The lavender haired girl smelled Konata's bed taking in the smaller girl's scent. She traced her fingers along the keyboard of Konata's computer, causing it to exit standby mode.

Kagami sat down, looking at the various icons on Kona's desktop. She even wanted to remember those, her memories would be all she would have of Konata for quite a while if everything went as she planned. Kagami was about to move on from the computer when a certain folder caught her eye. It was labeled "Important People."

Kagami couldn't help but wonder what was in this folder, so she opened it up quickly, knowing she didn't have much time, and her weeping becoming stronger the longer she stayed up here. Inside the folder were quite a few text documents, each one labeled with the name of someone she knew. The tsundere's heart started beating rapidly as she saw one file that stuck out on the list. It was the only one written in all caps. It was labeled, "KAGAMIN"

Kagami's hands were trembling as she opened the file to see the contents. Her tears started rolling uncontrollably as she read what Konata had written about her. She stared transfixed at the screen, knowing she needed to finish before Kona was done making breakfast. Still she read on, trying to memorize every single word of Konata's feelings.

**Kagami Hiragi**

**First Observation**

**Today I met Tsukasa's big sister Kagami. The first thing I noticed is that she's a total babe. I knew Tsukasa was pretty, and when I heard about her twin, I figured she would be as well, but this girl is so pretty it just pisses me off. Why couldn't god spread the wealth, huh? I could really use some of those looks when I decide to get all romantic with someone.**

**Secondly I noted the pigtails, and immediately thought, "Tsundere." It would seem I was right. When she first regarded me I felt like she was sizing up what kind of threat I was to her little sister, and when she decided I wasn't one, she started acting friendly towards me. **

**Kagami seems pretty nice, but I don't know if I like her as much as Tsukasa and Miyuki, but then again, I've only known her for a day, if she really is a tsundere, it'll probably take a while before she'll be really open with me and let me know who she really is, but then again, maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there, and she's just a grump. **

**Entry 1**

**Okay, so I knew Kagami was pretty, but I didn't know she could be adorable. The way her eyes lit up when I gave her some of my chocolate today was really cute. I didn't know she had Moe in her, as she just seemed like a tomboy to me. Either way, I guess she's pretty cool, even if she reads books without pictures.**

**Entry 2**

**It's hard to type while I'm chuckling remembering the great reaction I got out of Kagami today. I shared some of my chocolate with her again, and her eyes lit up as usual, but then when she took a bite, I said, "Huh. Your clothes seem to have a little more padding than last week. Did you bundle up today or something?" She turned beet red, and a big blue vein stuck out on her forehead, I thought she was going to punch me out for a minute. It was hilarious the way she tried to sputter a response, but then she just walked off from me. I thought it was really funny, but I hope she isn't still mad at me. I'll make her something good for tomorrow.**

**Entry 3**

**Kagami caught me teasing Tsukasa today, and didn't realize I was just teasing. IT WAS SCARY AS HELL. DO NOT DO IT AGAIN. Also suddenly Kagami seems to be interested in diets, I hope she's not self conscious because of the comments I made, but if she is, that means I can get some great reactions out of her in the future. I should jot down the stuff that annoys her for future use.**

**Entry 4**

**I've been friends with Kagami for a few months now, and I have to say that I like her a whole lot, maybe even more than Tsukasa. I got a glimpse of her Dere-Dere today for the first time though. We had a fight the day before yesterday, and she hasn't been talking to me because I told her the dieting was dumb, and she should just let her belly grow out if she loves sweets so much. It's not like there's anything that girl could do, and not look great anyways. Oddly enough though, she didn't have any trouble accepting the cake I baked for her. **

**Entry 5**

**I GOT INVITED TO A BIRTHDAY PARTY WOOT! Kagami and Tsukasa wanted ME to come to their birthday. It seems strange, that I've known them for nearly a year, and have only gone over to their house a couple times, but maybe we'll start hanging out more after this.**

**Entry 6**

**Kagami was so cuuuuuuute today. It was criminal, it was maddening. I found out she switched over to humanities just to be closer to us. So I teased her about it today, I even petted her head, and it pissed her off big time. Still, I really wish we had been in the same class. I like Kagami more than anyone else I know, and it'd be great to always be around her.**

**Entry 7**

**I'm a little upset that Kagamin thinks so little of me. Today we were talking about the rise in juvenile crime, and she said she wouldn't be surprised if I committed one. I hope she was just teasing me because I really hoped she liked me more than that. I was just about to ask her to be my best friend too, but I guess I'll wait.**

**Entry 8**

**We went to the beach. Kagami couldn't believe I was wearing my old school swimsuit, but I had to play to the people with "special needs", she just doesn't understand things like that at all. We also stayed in a hotel where I scared everyone it was great, although I almost died when I saw Kagami undress for the baths. Man I knew there was a pretty big difference between us, but still, it makes me pretty angry.**

**Entry 9**

**I don't understand what I'm feeling at all. Yeah, the concert was great and everything, but I just keep feeling all tingly all over. I think Kagamin did it to me. There was a big guy blocking me, and she just switched seats with me. She didn't even stop to think about it for a while, or say we trade back after half the concert. I've felt a really weird feeling ever since then. Why would she do something so nice for me? I only ever tease her, and now I just feel dumb for that. I'm going to have to remember to be a really good friend. I can't even think of anything I could do to come close to being being even remotely similar to the level of niceness she showed me tonight though. Oh well, I'll be up all night typing if I try to explain how she makes me feel, so I'll figure it out later.**

**Entry 10**

**DAAAAAAAAAAMN!**

**DAAAAAAAAAAMN!**

**Why are we not in the same class! It's our last year too, and I was really hoping I could spend the whole year next to Kagamin, but it just didn't happen, even after she gave up the classes she had wanted to take at the beginning of High School. It's not fair, and Kagami looked devastated as she re-checked the list, looking like she hoped it would change. I know she just wants to be close to Tsukasa, and Miyuki, but still, I'd trade places with her in a heartbeat to make her happy. **

**It's not like we're in the same class anyways, and I could handle being by myself if I knew Kagamin was happy because of it. I talked it over with Kuroi-sensei, but she said there's nothing that can be done.**

**Entry 11**

**Kagami looked really beautiful tonight in her Yukata. We went to a fireworks festival. Most of the girls were looking good, but I just couldn't take my eyes off of Kagamin. That's happening so much more often lately. I'm now pretty sure I'm interested in her as more than a friend, and that thought scares me. I really, really don't think I could handle losing her at all, and I'm pretty sure she would drop me if I ever told her, so I think I'll just keep being friends with her. Besides, even if I do find her attractive, it's not like I'm in love head over heels or anything, I'll find someone else, and me and Kagami can stay friends.**

**Entry 12**

**I really, really hope Kagamin is feeling better. It hurts me to see her hurting. I don't know what happened, but at some point on our senior trip, she just started to space out, and I thought something was wrong, she wouldn't even respond to any of my teasing. I felt really bad, because I can't stand it when something hurts my Kagamin. It gets even worse though. At first she was distracted, but later on in the night, she just seemed really sad. I think I even heard her crying, if I ever find out who made her cry, I'll make them regret it.**

**At least she seemed to get happier near the end, and we even took a great picture. I was so nervous about putting "We love Kagami" on it, that I spelled her name wrong. Still I don't think she knows how I feel about her. Even I have to admit it's a pretty big girl crush, but right now that doesn't even matter because I just want her to be happy again.**

**Entry 13**

**I can't believe it! I can't believe it! Kagami asked me to be her Best Friend. I've wanted that for so long, but was just too afraid to ask her. I've never been a best friend before though, so I need to do some serious grinding. **

**I'm pretty tired right now from the whole passing out thing earlier, but today I had a really incredible day with Kagamin, and now we're going to be even closer. Oh well, I guess I should go to bed early since she asked me to. **

**Also, I don't think I ever noticed it before today, but even though I felt bad about teasing Kagami, she always just shakes it off, and comes back to make me feel really good. I wish I could do something like that for her. It'd be like a dream come true if she was happy just being close to me.**

**Entry 14**

**I hurt. I hurt really really bad. I didn't even know it was possible to hurt this bad. Kagami's asleep now, but this morning I realized I loved her, and then she realized I loved her I think, and she teased me about it. **

**I felt so bad I just wanted to stop going on, it hurt too bad to reason through. I know now she was just acting out because she had a really high fever, but I'm scared of her. I don't know if I could even live through something like that again, and she could do it really easy because I still love her. I can't help it, she's the most important thing in the world to me.**

**I'm worried out of my mind that her fever will get bad again, and she'll be taken away from me. I can't be separated from her right now. I'm still hurting so bad, and she's the only thing that makes me feel better. I want her! I want her! I want her! I want her! Why did I have to be born a girl? Why can't I be pretty enough for her to notice me? Why can't I be brave enough to tell her?**

**Why, why, why? I don't know how much more of this pain I can take, but I guess if she stays with me, I'll take as much as I can feel, because I've made up my mind, that no matter how much it hurts, and no matter how much she might hate me. I'll always love my Kagamin, I refuse to move on, she'll be my only love ever. If she won't love me, then I'm happy dying alone, because just being close to her is everything I need. Anything that happens beyond being close to her, will just be bliss.**

Kagami's tears were flowing freely as she finished reading the last entry. The file went on with lists though. Lists of things Kagami liked. The Tsundere's favorite colors, her favorite meals. Even her favorite brand of pocky was accounted for. There was a list of things that annoyed Kagami, and she realized Konata had learned all of these in the field by trying them out. Then there was finally a list of things Kagami loved, it was filled out with the names of Kagami's family members. Even Gyopi-chan was in there. It was followed up with Miyuki, and finally Kagami saw at the bottom of the list.

**Me (Hopefully)**

She was feeling horrible on the inside, and this had only made it worse. Still, she was so happy Konata loved her, that would make what she was doing even harder. The lavender haired girl moved away from the computer, and quickly dressed herself. Then she gathered her things, making sure to leave the manga she had borrowed from Konata, so the smaller girl wouldn't have a reason to come over. She was so distraught she knocked her bag over a few times, spilling the contents, and having to repack them.

Kagami still couldn't stop her tears as she quietly left Konata's room. It was everything the bigger girl could do to not just sob out loud, there was no way to stop both the sounds and tears, so she stopped the more important one. Kagami silently crept down the stairs, hoping her stomach wouldn't rumble loudly as she passed where Konata was busy frying bacon, and making pancakes.

Kagami looked into the kitchen as she passed it on her way to get her shoes, and raincoat. She nearly cried out when she saw Kona was still crying while making some heart shaped pancakes, but Kagami forced herself onwards, just telling herself over and over again that her sweet little beautiful Kona could find someone better. She'd move on, and then hopefully one day they could go back to being friends.

She absolutely couldn't be with Kona. The younger girl knew, she would just end up hurting Konata even more, she always hurt Konata, but this once, she would suffer for Kona's betterment. She knew this was going to hurt both of them, but it was for her little blue haired beauty's own good. Kagami would never be able to accept her friend's love. So she would leave. She would avoid Konata completely.

Kona was saddened that her love was sad. She was hurting because her love was hurting. She no longer even cared about the heartbreak Kagami had caused her, as long as she could just have that beautiful tsundere close to her. She had even been crying tears of joy because she had finally told Kagamin how she really, really felt, and hadn't held anything back. Next she was going to cook a delicious breakfast to let her Kagamin know she was loved.

She wasn't ever going to let her best friend feel lonely again. She dextrously flipped a pancake, and sighed as another tear fell into it, but Kona just thought to herself, "Oh well, that's just a little more love in Kagamin's breakfast."

Kona became completely lost listening to the sound of the skillet, waiting for the pitch change in the sizzling that she recognized as the perfect time to flip the pancake, and make sure it was golden brown on both sides. She just knew her lovely Kagamin was going to enjoy this breakfast.

Konata started as she heard the front door close, and immediately thought of her dad who was supposed to be returning soon. She called out, "Hey Dad, is that you?"

Kona quickly wiped her tears away, not wanting her father to see her in that state, but noone answered. Konata moved her skillet off the burner so the pancake wouldn't burn, and went to check out the noise. She felt dread and terror when she saw Kagami's shoes, and raincoat gone. The small girl immediately threw open the door to see lavender hair disappearing around the street corner.

Konata's first instinct was to deny what she saw, to deny that it could happen. Nothing that terrible could ever happen. There was no way Kagami would ever leave her. The tears were no longer cried from relief, but pure sorrow and despair as Kona's heartbreak returned. It was just as bad as the previous morning when Kagami had been toying with her feelings. Kona gave chase, but ended up crying in frustration as she realized no matter how hard she tried to run, she could only take a few tiny steps.

The rain poured down, nothing like on the first night she had spent with her love. Even though at that moment all the rain that had ever been rained couldn't hide the tears of a small broken Otaku.

She screamed Kagami's name as loudly as she could, before she collapsed on the ground sobbing. She tried to reason it out in her head. Surely Kagami had a good reason for something like this, the bigger girl would never ever leave Kona. They were best friends forever, no matter what, they were always going to be with each other.

The younger girl had probably just been asked to come home immediately or something, that was it. Or maybe she just really really missed her family, and had needed to go see them. Konata could understand needing to see the people you loved. The excuses sounded hollow in her head though. She knew deep down that Kagami was running away from her, and when she finally admitted it, the sobbing stopped.

The pain was too much, Kona couldn't even feel it anymore. Or rather, it was like a sensory overload, everything just became dull. She felt tired. She just needed to go call Kagami, and ask tell her to come back because she was sick, and Konata would take care of her forever. Konata stumbled back inside, not bothering to close the door, or even turn off the burner on the stove.

She weakly climbed the stairs, and went into her room, and noticed the file that was pulled up on screen. Konata smiled for a moment, thinking how much she loved Kagami. Maybe there was still hope, maybe this was her fault, and Kagami hadn't left her at all. Kagami had probably just been mad Konata hadn't admitted her feeling earlier, and so she had left to teach Kona a lesson.

The small girl felt like she deserved this sort of pain for not being honest with her friend from the beginning. She would just call Kagami, and apologize. Then everything would be okay, since they were best friends, Kagami would have to forgive her. Kona stumbled around, feeling the pain return as her hope was renewed.

The blue haired Otaku, decided she wasn't up to talking, so she would send Kagami a text message. So she sent a quick message, and collapsed onto her bed when she heard a buzzing from a few feet away. It wasn't real, that was all Kona could think of besides her tiredness. Konata couldn't feel anything anymore because it hurt too bad to try and make sense of anything.

As she drifted off, Kona remembered the burner going downstairs, and the front door open, but she couldn't bring herself to care enough about a fire, or even a burglar as she felt her last reserve of strength fail her, she mumbled, "You said forever." Then Konata Izumi passed out.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey guys, it's me again. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though you know, the series of events aren't exactly enjoyable. Still, sorry for taking so long, but I have a lot to do around here lately, and try to dedicate a little time every day to getting some work done on the story. Anyways, time to address you guys and gals on a personal level. First off to:

Max- I understood what you meant, and will definitely get around to polishing up the story, also in your first review before the anonymous one as Max, I find it odd you included your particular words, because as I was typing the last chapter, I had "Comfortably Numb" just playing on a loop since it's probably my favorite song.

Kitmaro- Thanks a lot for reviewing my story. I always like to see your to-the-point reviews.

Gonstika- Thank you for sticking with the story even when the mood didn't feel right, and very much appreciate your honest feedback, and hope you'll stay through to the end.

HanyuuChibi and Whitley-I want to thank you very much for the compliments. They really do mean a lot to me, but don't feel bad about slapping me with a negative review if you see where I go wrong somewhere. This story is for my readers, and because of that I have a responsibility to make it as great as I can.

Mindofamaniac0851- Thank you very much for reading. Sorry if I upset you even more about your dentist visit though. I don't think anyone likes to go to the dentist. Although I don't remember the blood writing part coming from any particular movie, I won't discount the possibility.

Finally but definitely not the least, the Poet's Raven- Thanks for reviewing, as I thank everyone who reads. I really appreciate the reviews though, would you mind telling me via either pm or your next review what exactly you like about the last 5 paragraphs of the last chapter, so that I can maybe recreate the special quality they held in other chapters? If you can't I understand, I myself have trouble wording a lot of things like feelings I get when reading something, so I thank you if you can, or if you can't.


	14. Penitus Bellum!

Chapter 14 Penitus Bellum!

Sojiro stood at the entrance of his home stunned by the rain pouring into the front door. It was wide open. Something was wrong, his mind immediately started thinking a million different terrible thoughts, freezing him in place until one thought screamed in his mind, breaking anything else that may be worrying him.

_**Konata!**_

He began moving immediately, coming through the front door, and immediately rushing up to his precious daughter's room. He feared the worst when he crested the stairs, and saw her door was open. He actually ran the few steps to his little girl's room, and looked in, only to find her asleep in her bed, even though there was a futon on the floor for some reason. Sojiro was immediately relieved to see his daughter, but still came closer to check on her. He felt her forehead, and noticed she was very cold, but at least she was breathing normally.

The blue haired man exhaled deeply after realizing he had stopped breathing up to this point. Konata was fine, but why had the door been left open? His daughter didn't just leave the front door open for no reason at all. Even so, he moved out of his daughter's room, not wanting to wake her, and closed her door quietly. He needed to search the house, in case someone had entered while she was sleeping.

No other doors were open in the upstairs, so he doubted whoever had entered had made it up to the second floor. It was just coincidence his daughter had left her own door open. There hadn't been any signs of a struggle in Kona's room, so he doubted anything had been stolen out of there.

Sojiro moved quietly down the stairs, and was startled when he noticed an orange glow off to his left. His first thought, was that the place was on fire, but he realized it was just a stove burner glowing orange. He quickly turned it off, and watched as the glow slowly faded, and then he investigated the rest of the kitchen. He paused by the stove for a while, looking at the heart shaped pancakes, and bacon.

He thought to himself, "She's so cute! She missed her old man, and made heart shaped pancakes just to show me how much she loved me when I got back."

His thoughts were broken by remembering he had to check the rest of the house though. It only took a few minutes to check out any hiding places, and still he came up with nothing. It also didn't appear anything had been stolen. Nothing broken, or anything out of the ordinary besides the front door. He wondered what could have happened, and why had Konata not turned the stove off? Sojiro could feel worry creeping its way back into him. Something just felt wrong.

Sojiro quickly made his way back up to Kona's room, and examined it thoroughly. Things he noticed out of the ordinary were that his computer chair, and fan were in the room. As well as the futon they kept in the closet. It was pretty obvious Konata had had a sleepover. He assumed she had invited Kagami and Tsukasa over, but that still didn't explain why she was sleeping up here with the stove going, and the door wide open for the rain to pour in.

For a moment he was lost in his imagination as he pictured three cute high school girls, and their questions of love leading to experimentation, but he shook it out of his mind to focus on the task at hand.

The blue haired man, knelt beside his daughter's bed, and shook her gently, saying, "Konata. Konata wake up."

Konata stirred a little, and mumbled something weakly that he couldn't understand. He was now really worried though, there was something in her tone, even while she was mumbling that Sojiro didn't like at all. He shook her again, and was rewarded with Konata saying quietly, "Just leave me alone please."

Now Sojiro wasn't happy at all. That tone again. That wasn't his loveable Kona talking at all, there was no emotion at all in that voice. The concerned father gripped Konata's shoulders, and pulled her in close, hugging her, while asking, "Kona? What happened to you?"

Sojiro could feel his daughter trembling as he held her close, but as he looked into her face, there was no sign of her usual grin, she had barely made the effort to wrap her own arms around him and return the hug. Even so as his little blue haired angel responded, he couldn't help but notice her voice crack a couple times. Konata told him, "She hurt me daddy. She hurt me really really bad."

Konata's eyes had lost their usual luster, and she even seemed to be smaller than usual, although that was just an illusion brought on by her obviously weakened emotional state. Now Konata's father could feel anger though. Someone had hurt his precious daughter. Had it been her friends? As Kona released Sojiro though, he noticed the bandages on her hands, and asked her, "What happened Konata? Are you alright?"

Konata examined her bandages, and said quietly, "Little cuts like this don't even hurt."

Sojiro couldn't grasp what had happened to his daughter. Worry was consuming him almost to the point of panic now, as he asked her intensely, "Did Kagami or Tsukasa hurt you Konata? What did they do to you?"

Kona looked up at her father hopefully, and he felt relieved as a little sparkle came back into her eyes, and she asked, "Kagami? Did she come back yet?"

Konata's father felt terrible after his answer of, "No, no one's here but the two of us.," and Konata slipped back into her daze. She didn't react at all, as Sojiro unwrapped her bandages to look at the small cuts in her hands. They didn't look too serious, but he was sure they had hurt pretty badly when they had happened.

He couldn't wrap his mind around his daughter's behavior. Her eyes, her voice, her posture, everything just seemed empty. He felt stupid for asking such an obvious question, but he asked, "Are you feeling alright honey?"

Konata leaned back into her bed, and pulled the blanket up to her neck, leaving her head poking out, and saying, "I'm just really tired. I want to be up hen Kagami comes back though."

As he reasoned through it, he could only assume her and Tsukasa had had some sort of fight, and Kagami was coming back after taking Tsukasa home. Even so, he thought that maybe he should give them a call, and fight out exactly what happened. Sojiro also thought he may want to ask a doctor to make a house call, and check on Kona.

The blue haired man found his daughter's cell phone lying on the floor next to her bed, and he navigated to the address book to find Kagami's cell phone number. He called it, but it only went to the voice mail option after a few rings. Next he looked up the Hiragi's house phone. He quickly rung up the number, and listened as he waited for an answer on the other end. A man answered the phone who Sojiro had spoken to a few times when arranging the sleepovers the girls sometimes had, and he immediately said, "Tadao-san, are Kagami and Tsukasa there by any chance?"

Sojiro noted the pause, and confused tone during the other man's answer, "Sojiro-san? Tsukasa is here at home, she's been in bed with a fever for two days now. Kagami is supposed to be over there with your daughter."

Dread swept over the blue haired man at that response, and he said, "I came home to find my door wide open, and the stove still going, something is really wrong with Konata, and Kagami isn't anywhere here. I'll question Konata about what happened, but I think we should get to looking for Kagami immediately. I have a bad feeling about this."

The other man's response was brief, and to the point, he didn't bother asking about how the situation could have occurred, but immediately focused on finding his own daughter as he said, "I'm going to go out looking right now, while I have Miki contact the police, just in case. Hopefully, nothing is seriously wrong, but I'm not going to wait around and hope if there's a chance my daughter's out in this weather."

Tadao quickly informed Sojiro about Kagami's high fever, and her having chosen to stay over with Konata despite that so the blue haired girl wouldn't be alone in the storm. Sojiro was really thankful Konata had found herself such a great friend, but knew he had to help his daughter out any way he could right then.

The line went dead as Kagami's father hung up, but Sojiro wasn't done talking. He needed to contact an old acquaintance from his own phone, and ask him to come take a look at Konata. His worry was getting worse by the minute, at least Sojiro knew he could feel better if he called a familiar doctor to make sure Konata was alright.

It only took him a few minutes to summon their doctor, who agreed to come over immediately despite the weather once the situation was explained to him. In times like this, it was important everyone acted quickly and decisively. He needed to get out there, and start helping in the search for Kagami, and he knew it. Sojiro also knew he couldn't just leave Konata alone though.

The blue haired man decided he would call over his niece to watch over Konata in his absence. He took a moment finding her number in his cell phone, and then dialed her up, once again waiting impatiently, knowing he should be doing something involving action. Yui answered on the third ring, answering happily, "Hey uncle. What's going on?"

Sojiro's serious tone immediately quieted Yui as he told her, "Hey, I hate to have to ask you to come over on such short notice, but there's something wrong with Konata, and Kagami is missing right now. I want to go out, and help her parents look for her, but someone needs to stay with Kona while our doctor checks her out to see if he can figure out what's wrong with her."

Yui responded, "Oh no, that's terrible. Is Konata hurt or something?"

Sojiro took a minute to respond, remembering his daughter's words, and then he said, "She says she's hurting really badly. She also says the cuts she somehow got on her hands don't hurt at all, I'm not sure at all what's going on with her, but Kagami is really sick, and I know Konata will be okay if you're here with her."

There was no silence on the phone even while Yui wasn't speaking to Sojiro. He could clearly hear her car keys jangling, and her yelling to her little sister that they were going to see Konata right that second. She then said back, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. Also, I'll talk to some friends at the station, and get them out looking for Kagami."

With that Sojiro heard the engine of Yui's car roar to life before she hung the phone up, and he sat by his daughter in his computer chair, and waited. He could tell his daughter wasn't asleep, but she was just laying there with her eyes closed, and what he really didn't like was the way she wasn't moving at all.

Kona usually twisted around, and moved a lot while she was resting in bed, trying to comfortable, but she just lay there. She was like a statue for all the motion she was making. Sojiro worried a couple times that she wasn't even breathing, but he checked, and saw her breath hadn't stopped coming. Soon Sojiro couldn't take the silence anymore, and asked Kona, "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better Konata?"

The bedridden girl surprised Sojiro by answering, "I need her."

Sojiro felt hopeful for a moment, maybe he could get to the bottom of his daughter's strange behavior, and he asked, "Need who Kona? Who do you need? Is it Kagami?"

Konata just asked him, "Is Kagami back yet?"

Nothing. That was the amount Sojiro had managed to learn with repeated questions asking Konata how she felt. Something had upset her deeply, to the point where she didn't even know how to act. It was obvious she was hurting, and confused, but she couldn't even talk about what it was, so Sojiro couldn't help his daughter at all. Still, he had hope that maybe Kagami would be able to help her. Konata obviously needed to talk to Kagami in order to face whatever was hurting her.

The blue haired man's thoughts were interrupted by Yui entering without knocking on the front door, and calling out, "Uncle, we're here!"

It was only a few moments before Yui, and Yutaka entered the room, both looking worried, and little Yutaka looked as if she might faint once she saw Konata lying there in bed. Sojiro would have loved to speak to them, and tell them everything that was going on if he had actually known himself, but he knew he should help Kagami's father in the search.

He just explained that the doctor would be there soon to have a look at Konata, and he needed to go out, and help with the search for Kagami, so someone needed to keep an eye on his daughter for him until Kagami was located. Sojiro promised that he would return as soon as Kagami was found, and then thanked them both before rushing off.

The two new arrivals were left in near silence, just staring at Kona trying to figure out what could be wrong. Yui was standing by the window, considering reading one of Konata's mangas to pass the time, but Yutaka had already pulled up a computer chair, and was holding Konata's bandaged hands, and stroking them, telling her bigger cousin everything would be fine, only receiving a response of, "I know," from the blue haired girl.

That tone chilled Yui. Lack of energy was something she had never thought possible from her small cousin. That girl was the the embodiment of effervescence. The green haired woman moved in close, and hugged Konata, not wanting to hear anything like that ever again. She rocked Konata back and forth like she was comforting her very own daughter, and told her, "Don't worry Konata, we're here for you."

They waited for nearly half an hour before there was a knock on the door from below, and Konata said hopefully, "Kagami?"

Yui reluctantly released the small girl in her little sister's care, and went downstairs to let the doctor in. She worried the instant she laid eyes on him. Yui had seen this man before, he was a specialist who had been Kanata's doctor since she had been a small girl. A call to him meant Sojiro was fearing the absolute worst for his daughter.

The man was old, his hair had long turned white, and he was unshaven, so his white stubble was growing haphazardly about his chin. It was obvious he had rushed over without bothering to get tidied up. He was straight to business as he asked Yui, "Where is she?"

Yui led him up the stairs, bringing him into Konata's room, and telling Yutaka to clear the out so he could examine Konata. He quickly set about checking her pulse, he read her temperature, and blood pressure, and checked her dilation, and reflexes. It wasn't long before he unwrapped the bandages on Konata's hands, and examined the cuts there.

He played his flashlight over the cuts, and then reached into his tool bag to remove a small silver pair of clips that he used to pull a tiny object out of the cut on her right hand. He then wrapped her hands in fresh bandages, and let Konata go back to resting her head against her pillows.

Yui had watched nervously through the entire examination, and as the doctor sighed, and stepped away from Konata, she finally got up the courage to ask, "What's wrong with her?"

The doctor eyed her, and then sighed and said, "I can't be completely sure at this point. She isn't running a fever, her blood pressure, and dilation is normal, her reflexes are a little slow, but that's normal for her at least. I doubt this is caused by infection from the glass I pulled out of her cut, but I think I might recommend some antibiotics just in case when her father returns. For now, I just need to watch her, and hopefully I can glean something useful. Right now I have an idea of what it could be, but that's something I need to discuss with the girl's father."

Yui felt anger boiling up in her, and didn't understand why. If he had an idea, he should be doing something. He could at least tell her what he thought was wrong with Konata, but all he did was hint cryptically that it wasn't a sickness, and she didn't deserve to know of even the possibility of what it could be.

She probably would have snapped, if Konata's cell phone hadn't rung right then. They all froze and watched as Konata slowly rolled over, and and picked her phone up from where it lay beside her bed. She pressed the little green button, and answered, "Kagami?"

It wasn't Kagami on the other end though, it was Tsukasa. She was calling to check if maybe Kagami had come back there. She asked, "Hey Kona-chan. I was calling hoping Kagami came back there."

The blue haired girl responded, "She left. She's sick and she left. I need to take care of her Tsukasa."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Tsukasa asked, "Are you okay Kona-chan? You sound...different."

Konata could hear shouting coming from Tsukasa's end, and it sounded like someone was really angry over there. She heard Tsukasa feebly saying, "Sis...don't."

Soon she couldn't hear Tsukasa at all. All she could hear was someone yelling, "You did something to her didn't you! You hurt her! I warned you, and when I get my hands on you, you'll regret it!"

Konata let herself hope for a moment. This anger was familiar. Only one person ever got angry with her, so she asked, "Kagami?"

Silence.

There was no response on the other end for what seemed like hours, and then the voice that had been yelling responded, "Konata?"

Now the pain came back into Konata's mind, but she didn't care. Her eyes lit up, and she began smiling, much to the relief of everyone else in the room. Konata knew Kagami hadn't just left her, she had had a good reason, and now she was calling to let Konata know it was okay. Everything was going to be fine now. Konata said, "I was worried about you Kagamin. You should have just told me if you had to leave. I can still come over, and take care of you if you need me."

Konata felt everything leave her again as she heard the answer of, "Konata. I'm not Kagami. This is Matsuri. We need to find out where Kagami is."

Konata no longer cared to talk with this person. She wasn't Kagami. She was only good for one more thing then, so Konata asked her, "Can I just talk to Kagami? Please?"

There was more silence on the other end before Tsukasa came back on the line, saying, "Kona-chan? Kagami is missing. Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah.", said Kona.

Tsukasa seemed excited now, and she asked, "Oh, really? Can you tell me where she is?"

Konata didn't understand the question at all, she couldn't bring herself to focus on conversation no matter how hard she tried. On the inside she was screaming for Tsukasa to go find Kagami, and bring her back, and make sure everything was okay, but all that came out was, "She's scared. That's why she had to leave, you have to make her feel better, because I just keep scaring her."

Tsukasa was obviously disappointed in the answer, and Konata could tell, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't say what she was feeling. It hurt too bad to think about it, all she could focus on was Kagami. When she came back, everything would be okay. Tsukasa responded, "Kona-chan. There's something wrong with you. What is it?"

Konata couldn't answer. To answer that she would have to face her pain, so she just stayed silent. Tsukasa was obviously even more worried now that she had spoken with Konata, but even so she tried to comfort her friend, saying, "Well, don't worry okay? We'll find her, and then we'll come over, and cheer you up, okay?"

Konata just couldn't respond, no matter how much she wanted to now. She was the one who should be comforting Tsukasa, and she knew it. The poor girl was worried sick about her twin sister, but the blue haired girl just couldn't do it. Thinking was pain, feeling was pain, and she couldn't handle it, so she just stopped. She had retreated inside herself where noone could reach her, and noone could hurt her.

Konata's body muttered, "Okay.", but her mind screamed for help. She couldn't escape the cage of emotion Kagami had built for her, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't even move her body the way she wanted. It just acted on its' own, and gave no heed to the thoughts and wishes of the one supposed to be in control.

Konata fought as hard as she could to do anything, but it was useless. She was fighting herself, a much stronger part of herself that was running from the pain. The part that would face it wasn't strong enough to take control. So she gave up, and let the world go dull again. She didn't even remember when she ended her call to Tsukasa or what she had said in the call.

On her inside a fight was raging. A fight between the three strongest parts of her. One screaming in rage, one screaming in pain, and the third was the real her, the whole who was held prisoner in her own mind.. The fight was intense as she had never felt two things so powerful in her life, and it was destroying the rest of her. All feelings besides her pain at being abandoned, and her love were inconsequential, and therefore were absorbed by one or the other to fuel the flames of the intense conflict.

**She hates us! She left, and she hurt us!**

_**No! Kagamin wouldn't hurt us! Not ever!**_

**Then why would she leave us like that! She couldn't even face us!**

_**She's scared, that's all. We got really close, really fast, and it scared her. It scared us too.**_

**That isn't a reason, that's just an excuse!**

_**She's sick. She just isn't thinking right. I know she just thought it was best for us if she left.**_

**That's pretty convenient, eh? Sure, that may have been a good excuse the day before, but when was the last time she hadn't been thinking clearly. You know she was thinking just fine when she left us.**

This isn't important. I need to find her. She needs me now.

_**We need to go after her! She's more important than us!**_

**Why is everything always more important than us! Is it too much to ask that for once, someone loves us? Is it too much for them to suffer so we can feel better!**

The people I love should never suffer. I'll suffer a billion times anything meant to hurt them if it can keep them safe and happy.

**Why should we suffer? What have we done to deserve to suffer? All we did was comfort her, and love her, and she spat in our face for it! She doesn't deserve us, and we can find someone much better.**

Nobody is better than Kagami.

_**Nothing is more important than Kagami.**_

**Not even us? Not even everyone else who cares about us? Look what you're doing to them! Don't you even care how much they hurt seeing us like this!**

I care.

_**Of course we don't! Nothing is more important than Kagami!**_

**Can you hear how deluded you are? **

Yes.

_**You're the one deluding yourself! Don't you love her!**_

Yes.

**Yes.**

_**How can you say you love her after saying such horrible things about her?**_

**Maybe love isn't the most important thing in the world. Weren't we happy even before we loved her? Weren't we happy just being with our friends, and family?**

Love is the most important thing. Whether it be love for Kagami, or even the way I love Dad, Tsukasa, and Miyuki.

_**Loving Kagami is the whole reason we're here. If we don't love her, then we don't even exist.**_

It hurts.

**Crybaby, no wonder you're so pathetic. You can't even decide how you feel.**

Stop.

_**If you loved her more, this never would have happened! Someone like you doesn't even deserve to be in the presence of such an angel.**_

I know. Just let me go so I can make it right.

**NO!**

_**NO!**_

**If we let you go, we'll only hurt more!**

_**Are you thinking about what's best for Kagami? Or are you just being selfish!**_

Selfish? Hurt?

**Yeah, we hurt, we hurt bad, or are you still hiding from it?**

_**This pain is nothing! We can pull through for Kagami!**_

Pain. Yeah, it's there. It doesn't matter though, or at least not yet.

**What are you talking about? This pain is the whole problem. You're so scared of me that you can't even move.**

_**What are you talking about? This love is a blessing. You're so scared of me, you can't even decide how you really feel though.**_

**We don't need her.**

_**She needs us.**_

I need her.

Konata slowly became aware of the world around her again, but she could see it was still dull. She still wasn't in control. She could make out noises, and tried her best to understand what was going on. It seemed a familiar voice was speaking to her father. It was her doctor, but she couldn't even remember his name at the moment, she strained to catch what he was saying.

"-Seems linked heavily to her emotional state, just like her mother. Except the trigger has been different. In Kanata's case, the final trigger was Konata's diagnosis, we don't know what exactly caused the shift in Konata though. The most likely case would be some interaction between this Kagami girl, and herself, but I can't be sure unless I can manage to speak with both of them."

Sojiro responded seriously, "Well, is there anything we can do? Kagami isn't going to be talking anytime soon, she's been hospitalized because of her fever. We haven't gotten anything out of Konata since I got back. Can't we help her some way? Maybe we should bring her to the hospital too."

The doctor responded, "I hate to be this blunt with you Mr. Izumi, but do you remember how little help the hospital did for your wife? I think it's much more important that we keep her as comfortable as possible until that girl recovers, and I can speak with her. It still hasn't developed enough to threaten her life, and I'm sure you remember Kanata had quite a few instances like this where she was able to recover. Konata herself has recovered from a couple of these smaller instances. One when she was a small child, and received her original diagnosis, and another when she was in Junior high. Neither were as serious as this one, but it still hasn't developed to the same point as when Kanata realized she passed the condition on to her daughter. In short, this is not a problem medicine can solve. This is a deep psychological condition, and the only one who can treat it is Konata herself. What I'm most worried about at this point is that she neglects her other needs such as sleep or sustenance, and that can cause her condition as well as her mental state to worsen."

There was silence after the doctor's monologue. Even the storm outside seemed to be holding it's breath since no raindrops were pounding the roof or window. Finally the blue haired man answered, "So, all we can do is wait, and hope she gets better?"

The doctor responded, "I'm sorry to say it, but yes. I must once again though, question your wisdom in not telling her about this condition. She could be much more careful about things such as this if she knew."

Sojiro looked very serious then, and responded grimly, "I just couldn't. Kanata always told me how much she regretted knowing about it. There were so many things she had wanted to do, and to try, but she didn't because she was afraid for her life. In the end, none of it mattered because it got her anyways. There's no way I could see Konata grow up that way. Too afraid to go out, and make friends, and become interested in things because she knew one wrong move, and she could just...die."

Konata tried hard to focus on the conversation, but her head wasn't working right, still absorbed in her mental battle, but she managed to say, "Mom made me sick?"

Both the doctor, and Sojiro were surprised, neither of them realized Konata had been awake. In fact she had never fallen asleep, she had only seemed to for a while. Her father immediately went over, and embraced the small girl, saying, "No baby. You're going to be just fine, so don't worry about all that talk of dying okay?"

Konata didn't remember anything being said about dying, and wondered why her dad was acting so weird, but said, "I'm not dying dad. I'm just really tired. Can I see Kagamin now?"

He sighed, and answered, "No, I don't think so. She's not feeling very well."

Konata's worried look nearly broke Sojiro's heart as she responded, "Kagami's sick. I need to take care of her okay? She said she needs me close to her right now. She said forever."

He could only think that his daughter shouldn't have to deal with something like this. It wasn't fair that such a wonderful girl should have to struggle so hard for something as simple as keeping friends. He had no way to know why Kagami had run out into the storm, and been found hours later passed out from her fever in a circling train. She hadn't even had her cell phone with her, and since he didn't hear anything when the number was dialed he could only assume she had dropped it in the street somewhere.

Konata reached for her phone, and once again sent a text message to Kagami, she didn't even react when Sojiro tried to tell her Kagami didn't have her phone. She sent her message, and then went back to resting, but she found no rest in her thoughts. If anything, this dull world that she hated was a break from her real problems.

As her consciousness of what was around her faded, she found herself wrapped in blackness with nothing but the voices of her pain and love to keep her company.

**Move on!**

_**Never!**_

Never.

**Forget her!**

_**NO!**_

No.

**She's not coming back!**

_**We'll wait forever!**_

I don't doubt my friends. I don't doubt my love. She'll come back, and she'll save me from you two.

**No one can save you but us, let us take over!**

_**You can't love her as much as we do! Let us take over!**_

No one can love Kagami as much as I do. She'll be here, and she'll make everything better. Count on it.

With that Konata let the black overwhelm her, and stopped arguing with the voices. They could argue all they wanted, she had made up her mind to trust Kagami, and she would wait as long as it took.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading guys, and also your reviews are really helping to improve my writing. I can see a pretty big difference in what I'm producing now as opposed to the first couple chapters of the story. Secondly, it's really killing me to write the sad, serious Konata side, but it has to happen, because this is just how the story came to me.

I have to admit, a couple times I've had the urge to just type in, "And they lived happily ever after.", and call it done. I have a feeling that would kill the work we've all put into this so far though, so I'll stick it out until it either becomes happier, or comes to an end, and sincerely hope that you all will continue reading as well.

Quick Edit: I think I may have failed to explain what I was going for here. I don't mean to imply at all that Konata is going insane, in fact her mind is still quite rational. She just can't act the way she wants to because she can't decide how she feels. The two voices who are arguing in her head, are just a part of her, one representing her love, and dedication to Kagami no matter what happens. The other is a representation of the pain and anger Konata feels towards her friend for being abandoned. The two voices are extreme ends of her emotions though, and don't capture what her real thoughts are, and how she really feels about what's happened to her. Even with this explanation I'm not sure I got what I was going for here across, but this is the best I can do right now, since I'm still not so great at explaining feelings.


	15. When Roots Are Pulled Free!

Chapter 15 When Roots Are Pulled Free!

Kagami could feel the pillow perfectly fitting her head like angels had crafted it just for her to rest on. She could feel its warmth flowing into her, and making her feel better. She then realized that pillows didn't do that sort of thing at all, and tried to open her eyes. At first the warm sunlight blinded her, but slowly she was able to open them up all the way, and see who was comfortably stroking her hair.

"You finally woke up? It's about time you super-sized Tsundere you.", it was Konata. Kagami had been sleeping with her head resting in Kona's lap as Konata wrapped her arms around the lavender haired girl's waist, and held her close. Kagami blushed a little, not remembering why she was here. She was pretty annoyed at Konata for calling her Tsundere again, but it could be forgiven as long as the smaller girl kept her this comfortable.

Konata held her close, and lifted her slightly, so Kagami could tilt her head back, and rest it on her Otaku's chest. As Kagami looked up into Konata's eyes she received a sweet kiss on the forehead. She loved it. She really loved when Konata held her, and paid so much attention to her. She wanted this to go on forever with noone bothering them.

As Kagami looked around she saw they were on a big hill, overlooking a vast expanse of forest, there was nothing around them but nearly ankle high grass blowing in the wind, and a large tree could be seen further up the hill. It seemed they were the only ones for miles. Still Kagami couldn't remember how she had gotten here, or even think of why she would let Konata drag her out into the middle of nowhere.

Kagami's thoughts were interrupted by a gust of wind picking up Kona's hair, and the bigger girl was lost in a daze as it just seemed to wrap her up. She could see blue like the sky dancing all around her, and she couldn't help but think how beautiful it was. Kagami decided that she'd stop thinking about why she was here, and just enjoy the time she had with Konata.

The younger girl watched as the puffy white clouds rolled past, and she gradually felt all of her tension at being so close to Konata ease out of her body as she let her Kona wrap her up even more closely. Kagami was content to just sit forever here with Konata. Everything was perfect.

"Hey Kagamin?", Konata asked.

The lavender haired girl responded, "Yeah, what is it?"

Kona grabbed the sides of Kagami's head, and gently tilted it back until their eyes met, and said, "I love you."

Now everything was perfect.

_Beep, Beep, Beep_

The monotonous droning of the pulse monitor attached to Kagami was grating on Tsukasa's nerves. It beeped on calmly while she was left to worry about her big sister, and her best friend. She wanted to comfort both of them, she wanted them to comfort her, but neither of them would respond. If it wasn't for her other big sisters Tsukasa didn't think she could handle this.

Kagami's temperature was up over thirty-eight. Tsukasa had never seen her sister this sick before, and it scared her terribly. She was the only one who never took a break from Kagami's side. She ate, and slept in the same room, she had even left the door open when she went to the bathroom so she could watch her twin sister.

Kagami would occasionally cough, or start trembling in her sleep which always scared her younger sister, but Tsukasa stayed despite how scary it was. Even if it was just this once. Kagami was the one who needed her, and Tsukasa wasn't going to let her down. She wanted her sister to be better, and she wanted to go see Kona-chan when Kagami recovered, and cheer her up just like Tsukasa had promised.

Deep on the inside though Tsukasa wondered if it really would be okay. Losing anyone was a thought that scared her unbelievably, but she would not be frightened off. She wasn't a little kid who ran to someone for comfort whenever something wasn't just the way she liked it. Even so, she wished Miyuki would come back soon, but she had gone to see if she could help Konata, but it was Tsukasa's turn to be strong, and she promised herself she wouldn't fail.

Tsukasa crossed the room to Kagami, and gripped her sister's left hand in both of hers, and started talking. Kagami always got lonely, so she needed to know Tsukasa was there, or she would be scared. Tsukasa said, "Hey sis. It's me again. I just wanted to tell you I'm still here, and we all want you back. You know we all love you okay? You don't need to be lonely, because I'm going to stay here with you the whole time, and when you get better, we'll go see Kona-chan. You'd like that wouldn't you. I remember how excited you were when you two decided to be best friends. I was excited too. I thought it would be really nice if Kona-chan could be like our sister too."

Tsukasa now smiled, and giggled a little as she continued on, "Hey. You remember that time we talked about what animals we would all be? I remember Kona-chan said that I'd be like a puppy. You would be a cute bunny, and she'd be a fox since she always likes to play tricks. Hehe, I even thought Miyuki would be like a sheep since she gives off this white fluffy feeling. Then Kona-chan said Miyuki was a cow. It was really funny."

Tsukasa went silent for a few moments, her sister didn't react at all because of the medications that kept her resting, but Tsukasa was determined that Kagami wouldn't be a lonely bunny, she would make sure Kagami was never alone. She didn't understand what had happened to her sister, and she didn't understand why, but Tsukasa knew, Kagami always wanted to be loved, and now she wasn't going fail her Onee-chan.

_Rumble_

A distant peal of thunder brought Kagami out of her daze as she thought to herself, "Oh great, that storm's back."

Still, the lavender haired girl didn't see any dark clouds, and there was no sign of the sunlight letting up anytime soon, so she decided it would be fine to stay here with Kona a while longer. Kona was still holding her, and now their fingers were entwined as they held hands. Kagami could feel Konata lightly kissing the back of her neck, and she shuddered a little, and repressed the urge to giggle as Konata kissed her ticklish spot.

Kagami let go of Konata's hands, and reached both arms up, and wrapped them around her little Otaku's neck as she leaned back, and pulled Konata in. Konata was now leaning over Kagami's shoulder, kissing her collarbone, and Kagami was enjoying every second of it. How long had she wanted the smaller girl to hold her, and love her like this?

Kagami couldn't remember, she knew it seemed just a few days ago she would have pounded the shorter girl for trying something like this, but now Kagami was in ecstasy. As Konata's kisses stopped, Kagami didn't even care, because just being this close to her was enough. She remembered that she used to hurt, and she remembered that she used to be confused, but when that little Otaku held her, everything was just fine.

Kagami then felt a different grip on her hands, and looked away from Konata to see Tsukasa holding her left hand in both of her own. She was smiling, and she said, "Come on Onee-chan, we're all waiting for you."

The older twin thought to herself, "All?"

Could Tsukasa really mean their whole family? Were they okay with her relationship with Konata? Kagami couldn't help but feel a large smile come across her face as she let Tsukasa help her up, and they started walking. Konata was trailing behind them smiling happily as they crested the hill, and Kagami saw her other two sisters, and her mom and dad.

There was a large picnic set up, and Matsuri was flying a kite while her mother, and Inori prepared everyone's food. Her dad had stood up, and waved at her as they had come into sight, and Kagami felt relief flood into her. Everything was going to be okay.

Tsukasa and her older twin began running, laughing happily as they went to meet their family, but Kagami stopped after a couple steps in their direction. Something was wrong. She turned back to look at Konata who was waiting on top of the hill, where the other two had started running. Her hair was still dancing around her, and Kagami couldn't help but think how beautiful she was.

She shouted up, "Come on Konata! Everyone's waiting for us!"

Konata kept her smile, but now Kagami could see a single tear rolling down her best friend's cheek. The blue haired girl just shook her head, and called back, "It's okay Kagamin. They're waiting for you."

Kagami couldn't understand. She looked over to Tsukasa who was still smiling, and then she ran back to Kona, and gripped her hands, trying to pull Konata down towards the picnic, but the smaller girl didn't even budge. It was like she was trying to move a thousand year old oak tree. Surely Konata wasn't that heavy.

The older twin then felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and looked back to see Tsukasa still smiling at her, but something seemed different. Tsukasa said to her, "Not yet Onee-chan."

When Kagami looked back at Konata the smaller girl was now smiling happily at her, but Kagami was glad to see the tear was gone. Konata said to her, "Just a little bit longer."

_Crack_

Tsukasa jumped as lightning struck nearby, and the rain started falling again. She was really relieved when her big sister Matsuri came in though, even if she was being brave for Kagami's sake, she still liked to have someone else around. Matsuri eyed her tired looking little sister, and said, "Hey kid, you should get some sleep. I'll watch her for a little while, okay?"

Tsukasa was pretty much falling asleep where she sat, but she still didn't want to go to sleep, and miss Kagami when she awoke. Even so, after a few minutes she found her head drooping, and it wasn't long before Matsuri gripped Tsukasa's shoulders, and pointed to the small couch that had been set up for Tsukasa, and said, "You. Bed. Now."

Tsukasa didn't argue, sometimes it was better to just do what her big sister said. So the younger girl moved over towards the small couch, and lay down, still watching Kagami while Matsuri sat in the chair Tsukasa had been sitting in.

Matsuri kept checking between her two little sisters, and finally sighed with relief when Tsukasa closed her eyes, and began resting. Once her youngest sister was asleep, the brown haired girl could focus on Kagami. She couldn't really understand what happened. Why had Kagami been out in the storm alone, and why was Konata in the shape she was in? When Matsuri had spoken to Konata on the phone, she hadn't sounded at all like the little blue haired girl that had been so protective of Kagami only a day before.

Konata had seemed to love Kagami very much. It had been obvious even before Matsuri had walked in on Kagami naked in the older girl's bed. Try as she might she couldn't think of anything that could have hurt the two girls so badly, but she knew she didn't like it at all. In many ways, her and Kagami were incredibly similar, things she didn't understand pissed her off. People who didn't take care of her loved ones also pissed her off, but Konata had passed her little test, and it was obvious that little girl wouldn't just let Kagami run out into a storm in her condition.

Matsuri sighed in exasperation, another trait she shared with Kagami. She started talking to her little sister, hoping at least some of what she said would get through, she hadn't planned a speech or anything, but when you spoke to a loved one, there was really no need to sound all official, and cool, so she just started with whatever came to mind, "Hey Kagami. It's Matsuri here, just making sure you're still alright. The doctors said your fever will go down, and you can come home pretty soon after that, so at least you can look forward to your own bed right? I know a lot of times we fight and don't get along, but I want you to know I'm behind you all the way on your little friend, if you know what I mean. Maybe it won't be too long before we can all get together, and do something, eh? I told Inori about it, and she thinks you two are really cute together, although it'd probably take Tsukasa a year to understand what was going on if we told her. Still...why'd you have to go and get hurt like this? You're making all of us worry you little attention hog. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Just get better soon alright? I won't even go out of my way to start any arguments with you for at least a month if you can get better in the next couple days."

Matsuri sighed again. She knew Kagami couldn't hear anything she was saying, it wasn't like it made a difference, but still, she could hope couldn't she?

_Patter Patter Patter_

Kagami could now quite clearly hear the rain, but it was still sunny, and warm here. Tsukasa had held her hand, and started pulling her towards the picnic, and now Matsuri had joined her, and was helping lead Kagami towards their family. They all sat down on a very large sheet, and everyone chatted happily as Inori handed out plates, and food to everyone.

All of Kagami's favorite things were there, and everyone was happy. It was really rare that an event like this happened where they could all spend time together. The food was delicious, and Kagami was really happy to have her family so close. She knew they loved her, and she would never be alone for as long as she had them.

There _was_ someone who was all alone though, and Kagami kept glancing up to the top of the hill where Konata still stood by herself watching them. Kagami really wanted her to come down, so she asked, "Is it okay if Konata joins us too? She looks pretty lonely up there by herself."

Matsuri smirked at Kagami, and said, "What are you talking about Kagami? You're the one who left her."

For the first time since arriving here Kagami felt pain. She couldn't remember why she was hurting though. She hadn't wanted to leave Konata, she just couldn't have been with her family if she had stayed with her blue haired friend. If Konata could come over here though, then everything would be alright, and noone would ever have to worry anymore. They could all just stay here forever.

Still Kagami couldn't understand quite what was going on. Everyone was acting like they didn't even see Konata. That couldn't be though, Tsukasa had come and gotten her, and she had only been a couple feet away from Kona. Her confusion deepened as Tsukasa said, "If Kona-chan could be here though. It would be really fun. Also she could have helped us make the food."

Even with her confusion though, Kagami's attitude brightened a bit as she remembered Konata's delicious cooking, and she replied, "Yeah, her cooking is really something else. If she _were_ here I'd really love to have some of the snacks she'd make."

Something was wrong now, "Konata _is_ here." Kagami thought to herself, and even once again looked up the hill to where the blue haired girl was standing. For a moment, Kagami was afraid, she couldn't see Kona at all, but after a few moments of searching the older girl was there. Kagami didn't know how she had ever missed that blue hair fluttering in the wind.

Kagami stood up, and waved at Konata to show she wasn't forgotten, but the small blue haired girl didn't return the wave, and that worried the older twin, because she knew Konata always loved getting attention from her. She found herself unable to resist heading back to Kona, and so she started walking back up the hill, leaving her family.

At the halfway point, she felt both of her hands taken, and looked back to see Matsuri holding her left hand, and smiling as she stood beside Kagami, and Tsukasa holding her right. Then Inori put her hands on both of Kagami's shoulders, and hugged her younger sister. Kagami didn't know what to think of this outpouring of love and support. She felt like she was stronger for it, like she could do anything. The four of them marched up to where Konata was, Kagami gripped her small friend's hands, and pulled.

Still She couldn't move Konata who still smiled at her, and said, "It's okay. As long as I can love you everything will be alright."

Kagami hugged her little friend, knowing she was strong enough to move Konata towards her family alone, but now she couldn't do it with the support of her three sisters. Kagami realized it wasn't a question of her strength. It was a question of her fear. She was so, so happy when her family was near her, and loving her, and she was unbelievably happy when Konata loved her. She was afraid that if she accepted Kona's love, her family would move away.

To choose between the two things she loved the most in the world. Kagami was too afraid to do that. She turned around, and faced her sisters, who now looked disappointed, and she said, "I can't."

Matsuri gripped Kagami's left hand tightly in both of hers, and asked, "Isn't it real?"

"_I don't know."_

Everyone looked over towards Kagami as she spoke aloud. Now her whole family was gathered around her in the hospital room, and they all felt relief and happiness flood over them as Kagami's eyes fluttered open, and she asked, "Where am I?"

The Tsundere's mother was the first to respond, saying, "Oh Kagami. We were so worried about you! Why did you leave Konata's house without calling one of us to get you?"

"I left?" responded Kagami

Now it was coming back to her. The fear, and remembering why she had left Konata. Kagami almost couldn't believe it herself, she had left Konata, choosing her love for her family over her love for her Otaku. Even now, with her mind jumbled from fever reducing medications, Kagami could feel the pain in her chest coming back. Her heart was breaking under the strain leaving her Kona had caused.

Kagami gripped her chest, and everyone looked on worriedly, especially Tsukasa, who moved in close, and said, "Onee-chan? Are you alright? Is your chest hurting you?"

Kagami gazed into those worried eyes of her younger twin, and wanted to say everything was fine. She wanted to tell Tsukasa to never look so sad again, but all she could say was, "I'm sorry. I've done something terrible to all of you."

Matsuri spoke up saying, "Damn right!"

She was cut off by a stern look from their mother though, and didn't finish whatever she had been going to say, instead she said, "Look Kagami. We're just glad you're okay. Don't worry about anything else right now, you just need to focus on getting better."

Kagami wished Matsuri had been allowed to yell at her, she felt like she needed someone to hate her. It seemed no matter how horribly she acted everyone just loved her no matter what. She knew she didn't deserve such a great family. Even so Kagami was glad she was born into this family out of all the ones in the world she could have possibly been in, this was the greatest, and the older twin felt some of the pain in her chest easing as they comforted her.

Even so, it wasn't long before she could only focus on what was left of the pain, and she said, "I left her."

Everyone went silent now. The tension was back, all of them wanted to hear what had happened, they just hadn't wanted to upset Kagami before she was well on the path to recovery. If she needed to talk about it though, they would listen. They had all decided they would listen to whatever reason Kagami had for leaving, and support her.

Kagami eyed each of them, especially her mother and father since she had no idea how they would handle what she was going to tell them. The older twin knew her sisters would stay by her no matter what, but she wondered if her parents would be as understanding. Her father moved closer to Kagami now, and held her hand. Somehow even though her father was the scariest person in the room right then, he comforted his daughter in the way only a father can, and Kagami could feel strength flowing from this man who loved her, and he gave her the courage to face her fear no matter what came of it.

Then she told them, "I left Konata. So don't hate her no matter what okay? If anything, I'm the one who hurt her, because I was scared."

Tsukasa and Matsuri were holding hands now, poor Tsukasa looked sick from the tension that had built up in the room. Kagami herself could feel it squeezing her, and felt faint for a moment until her father squeezed her hand, and nodded at her, bringing Kagami back to reality. Then the Tsundere continued, "She said she loved me."

Tsukasa gasped, but Matsuri only smiled, and gave her a thumbs up over her father's back. Her father didn't show any sort of reaction, but Kagami's mother now looked worried, and stammered, "Kagami, if you're too sick to talk..."

Kagami interrupted her mother though, something she never did, just like she never interrupted her oldest sister, there was just something about those two that told you to always show them respect, but right now Kagami knew if someone gave her an excuse, she would stop, and she couldn't do that. So Kagami decided to just try and tell the whole story without pause.

She told them how scared she had been when she thought Konata had been hurt at the train station. She told them about the crushing feeling she had had when Kona had been lying on top of her in the rain. She even told them how much passion she had tried to put into the kiss she gave on Konata's forehead when they had fallen asleep together.

At that point though, things started to get fuzzy, and she told them, "That's when my fever started. I don't really remember much about that morning, but I know I said terrible things to her, and I even remember knocking her down. Later on Kona had bandages on her hands, so I think I may have cut her with something too, and the next thing I knew she was holding me in the cold water, and telling me everything would be okay. She was crying when she told me that because I was screaming that I hated her, even though I don't hate her at all I just wanted to hurt her because she was scaring me."

Kagami stopped now, not trusting herself to speak since a sizable lump had grown in her throat, but it faded as Matsuri moved in and hugged her, and Tsukasa started stroking her hair while Tadao just squeezed his daughter's hand giving her the support he could tell she desperately needed. Kagami was feeling really drained now, and she wondered if maybe it was in fact too early to be telling them all this, she wobbled as she considered how to continue. Matsuri immediately steadied Kagami though, and reassuringly squeezed her shoulders.

Kagami sighed, and relaxed against her big sister, not even remembering when she had sat up to begin with, but from her more comfortable and supported position she resumed her story, saying, "When I woke up after all of that I was scared. I felt really really weak, and I wasn't in control, but every time I got so scared I didn't think I could take it, she'd hold me. I couldn't even think straight because I was scared of being so weak, and really, I was most afraid because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't just think the way I wanted to think, the way I normally think. It was like I wasn't even me. Still Kona kept telling me that everything would be okay, and that she'd make me better no matter what, and that she wouldn't let me be alone. She made me feel so much better that I decided I wanted her to take care of me instead of anyone else. She made me feel safe and happy, like nothing could ever hurt me as long as she was close to me."

At this point Kagami began smiling remembering the time they had spent together. It had been great to have Konata fawning over her, and getting her things, and constantly asking if she was okay. The Tsundere girl wished she could just go back to that day, and found her eyes drifting shut as she relaxed against Matsuri's warm body, but she snapped herself back awake, she decided if she was going to pass out again, it would be after she made sure her family didn't hate Kona.

Kagami left out the part with her and Matsuri since she didn't want anything bad to come to Matsuri in all this, but she did tell them about how much she enjoyed Konata's gaming session, and the normal meal that had followed, and she told them how happy she was when Konata had confessed her love. Kagami even noticed Tsukasa shed a couple tears at the part when Konata explained how much she loved Kagami.

Then came the part Kagami was dreading. She was now at the point where she would have to tell them why she had left Konata, to her that would be the hardest to explain, and Kagami wondered if they could ever think of her the same afterwards. She told them, "When I woke up, I was scared again, and not because I wasn't in control anymore. I actually thought just fine, even if I was still weak. I was scared that she wouldn't be there. I was scared she would leave me. More than that I was scared because I wanted her close so bad that it hurt me. I know that isn't healthy, to be in pain when someone leaves. Separation anxiety should stop around age five, and even so it's usually an attachment to one of your parents, not someone who's taken care of you for a day. That's why I needed to separate myself from her. I couldn't deal with the thought of feeling that pain every time she left, so I'd need to get used to it. I knew it would hurt her really badly, but I also knew I couldn't return the love she had. I knew she would move on, and find someone else she could love, and I really really hoped she'd still want to be my friend after she found someone else. So I quietly left without telling her, while she was busy cooking breakfast. I ran all the way to the train station, but once I stopped, I started feeling weak again, and guess I passed out on the train back home."

Kagami was now done. She had told everything up to what she remembered last, and suddenly her tiredness hit her with renewed fury. She almost passed out on the spot, but Kagami managed to stay awake since the older twin knew they would have questions for her. She felt her pain come back, completely renewed when she heard Tsukasa say, "No. Sis. You didn't."

She just wanted to cry if even Tsukasa was disappointed in her, but she thought her little sister's reaction would probably be the most mild of her whole family. Matsuri gave herself away by saying, "And I was worried her about hurting you. Looks like you're a natural heartbreaker though."

That comment didn't help, but what came next was what she had really dreaded from the beginning. Tadao spoke for the first time since his daughter had started her story, and he asked Kagami, "Kagami. Answer honestly. Do you love that girl?"

His face was stern and serious, and Kagami swore she could feel his shame flowing into her, but she managed to moan weakly, "Yes."

Tadao let go of her hand, and stood up. He regarded his daughter, and said, "You've done something terrible Kagami. As a priestess, as a person."

This was what Kagami had been expecting, and deep down she agreed with him. She deserved anything terrible that happened to her for leaving the girl she loved. The entire room was silent, and Miki made a move to hold her husband's arm, but he shook her off, and crossed his arms to stop any more attempts. Kagami could feel that Matsuri was holding her breath, and poor Tsukasa wasn't looking much better than Kagami herself.

Finally Tadao spoke again, saying, "You've let your actions be ruled by fear. As someone who is entrusted with leading the spirits of others, cowardice is not an acceptable trait. It will be very hard for me to forgive this, both as a priest, and your father. Still Kagami, as a father, I can't let you hurt like this, and call myself a parent. As soon as you're able to stand, you're going to face your fears, and we'll see what comes after that."

Kagami now felt a single tear roll down her cheek. Had her father really just accepted her? Had he honestly said he supported her love of Konata, but even so. Despite the happiness creeping its way though her entire being, despite that she could almost feel her very soul glowing at that moment. She felt ashamed, how many times? How many times had her father taught her at the temple that noone can make decisions when ruled by fear. A person with a clear mind was a righteous person.

That teaching was the whole reason she had always studied so hard since she was a small girl. She had always studied, and learned, and focused every bit of her energy into doing everything well. All because she had wanted to be righteous, she had always wanted to know she was a blessing to the people around her. All because Kagami always wanted to be loved, and she thought someone who was righteous could find their destined love.

Kagami had found her love, and what had she done, but hurt her so badly that she was probably still curled up in bed crying to her father over it. As soon as Kagami could walk, she was going to tell Kona she loved her more than anything, and that she always wanted to be with her. Kagami could only hope Kona would forgive her.

She felt consciousness draining from her now as her will to resist her tired body's call to rest faltered. Tsukasa was smiling happily at her as she wobbled, but Matsuri was trying to tell her something, and from Matsuri's face it was pretty serious. Kagami could make out from the mouth motions it was something about Konata. Konata was asleep? How would Matsuri know that? Even so Kagami couldn't hear anything more as she finally passed out with a big smile on her face.

Her fear was gone, and as soon as she woke up, she'd face Kona, and hope she could replace all of her pain with her Otaku's love.

Now Kagami was back in the field, there were storm clouds overhead, and the light wasn't as bright as before, they wouldn't be able to stay here except for maybe another hour or two before the rain came. The wind was blowing Konata's beautiful hair all around her as Kagami stood up from the picnic, and waved at her. This time when Kagami stood up, her whole family stood up, and they all began calling to the blue haired girl to join them.

Kagami was smiling happily, and waving both arms above her head as furiously as she could, and when Konata didn't make a motion to come, Kagami began heading up the hill towards her. At the halfway point, the Tsundere broke into a run, and headed towards her love with her arms spread wide, and laughing loudly. Kagami had never felt so free, she had never felt so happy, and she had never felt so strong.

When she reached her little blue haired beauty, Kagami wrapped her arms around her small love, and lifted her up into the air easily, spinning her around like she was a little child, and ended by placing her arm under Kona's knees, with the other supporting her back. Konata was now laughing as well, and the small Otaku blushed as she wrapped her arms around Kagami who was carrying her back towards the picnic, and whispered, "I love you Kagamin."

Kagami could now see she had absolutely no desire to stay in this place forever. She wanted to do everything, she wanted to move on, and meet new people, and live her whole life with her beloved family, and with her Konata. They would have so many friends, and happy memories that when finally her life came to a close, Kagami wouldn't even be able to think of the word lonely in the description.

Kagami tightened her grip on her cute little Kona, and said, "I love you too."

Now. Now everything was perfect.

* * *

Author's note: WOOO! I almost couldn't believe it myself, but it seems the story has taken a step back towards happy! Will it stay happy? Will Kona forgive Kagami? Who Knows! I certainly don't! Find out on the next of episode of DRAGON BALL Z! (I always wanted to say that.)

By the way, in case you guys haven't noticed, I'm pretty pleased with this chapter, so it'll really suck if this is the one that gets bashed above all others. Either way, I still accept any and all criticisms in the interest of making this story the best that it can be. I would love to hear any advice, especially on making the character emotions seem more real since I still feel I'm not so great at explaining feelings. (That's why I focus on feelings so much, so I hopefully don't leave people not understanding what everyone feels like, and how they're thinking.)

Also, one thing I thought about this chapter, was that some people may have a problem with the way Tsukasa is portrayed. I kind of agree she's pretty OOC here, but at the same time, I always felt like Tsukasa was the really caring type who would learn to be as strong as she needed to be if it was for the people she cared about since she always seemed like the type to form really deep personal attachments to everyone around her.

Thank you all so much for the advice given so far. It's really helping, and the noticeable progress has actually made me really really look forward to the time I can set aside to writing. So keep the reviews and pms coming! I love hearing from you guys, and really enjoy some of the odd, and delightful conversations I've had with multiple members. I don't think I could have picked a more friendly or interesting community to begin my writing in.


	16. My Very Own Little Girl!

Chapter 16 My Very Own Little Girl!

Everything was still dull. That's the first thing Konata noticed as she awakened. It wasn't surprising. She had expected it. The blue haired girl didn't want to reside here in the real world much longer since it hurt her too badly, but she surfaced every once in a while just to see if Kagami was back.

Konata didn't know how long she had lived this way, only really focusing on the world for a few minutes at a time, long enough to take a couple bites of rice, drink some water, and use the bathroom, although she had vague memories of the double Yu's bathing her. Konata smirked at her thought of Yui, and Yutaka. It felt great to feel her lips curving upwards again, but it pained her as she thought of Kagami's beautiful smile.

It was still too much, she only had time to send a text message to Kagami again before she retreated back inside of herself, clutching the only security she had under her mattress hidden back between the wall, and the bed.. Noone had been at her bedside was the first thing she thought as she floated in all the emptiness she was left in without Kagami. "It figures," she thought, "They probably all left me too. Maybe because they don't like my personality, like Kagami. I guess I could try not focusing so much on anime."

_**Just focus on Kagamin, she's all that matters. We love her remember?**_

**If we forget her we won't hurt as bad.**

_**It's worth the pain to be with her.**_

I just want someone to love me. I hate being all alone. Kagamin...help.

Konata hardly even heard the voices anymore. They were always present and arguing when she was in this place, but now she no longer heard the words of the conflict, all she could hear was "**Pain. **_**Love,**_" over and over again in never ending monotony. Still, it was better than out there. Out there people hurt her, in here, she could at least think normally, even if she was very lonely, that loneliness is probably what drove her to face the outside world every so often for a few minutes at a time.

Konata was suddenly pulled from her little hiding place inside herself at the mention of Kagami's name. She came out to see if her love had come back, and was immediately hit by the pain as she came into the real world again. It was her father who had said Kagami's name, and he looked upset. Konata couldn't feel bad for him though. Sure he looked worried, and concerned, but if she let herself hurt any worse she wouldn't be able to deal with anything anymore, even her hiding spot might not be enough.

"-she was really sick Konata. They let her family bring her home though, and she should be fine in a couple of days.", said Sojiro. He seemed to notice that her eyes didn't have the dull look in them she got when she was unresponsive, and he grabbed her hands, and said, "Konata. I'm glad you're awake. Is there anything I can do for you kiddo?"

The happy mannerisms seemed forced to Konata, but who was she to make judgments? At least he was trying. She felt a tiny bit of her pain go away as her father held her hand. It still wasn't enough to let her stay here for long. Already she felt like her chest was going to explode from the pressure built up there. A big lump was slowly working its way through her throat, and she didn't want to cry anymore.

For a moment though, she let herself hope. Kagami was at home. She could stay here long enough if it was for Kagami. So Konata asked her dad, "Can she come here? I want to see her."

Sojiro squeezed his daughter's hand, it pained him badly to think how similar she was to Kanata on the outside, but it pained him much worse to know she could be taken away from him in the same way. Still, Tsukasa had said on the phone that Kagami hadn't woken up since she had been taken from the hospital. Her body was really weak, and needed time to recover. It would be a few days at least before she was in any condition to come see Konata.

Sojiro was happy though, this was the longest Konata had spoken to him in the three days since he had come home, and found her in this state. He was given hope, that maybe being close to Kagami would help his daughter, so he said, "She's still asleep Konata, but if it'll make you feel better, I can take you over there to see her. Would that make you happy?"

Konata's eyes widened for a minute, and some of their old sparkle came back, but only for a moment, and then she was cringing away from Sojiro like he was a demon. She looked terrified, and screamed at him, "NO! Don't take me away! Kagami's coming back! I have to be here when she gets back!"

Her pain had returned with new force as she was confronted with the image of Kagami coming back to her, and Konata wasn't there. She needed to stay put until the older twin could find her. If she moved from this place, she would be giving up on everything. She tried to run from her father, fearing he'd force her to go somewhere, but her body wasn't responding properly again, so she ran away inside herself once again, and let the darkness that came with it envelope her again.

Konata floated in this space for what seemed weeks, too afraid to peek outside to find she was somewhere Kagami would never look for her. She still didn't know how long it had been since Kagami left her. Maybe days, maybe months, maybe even years. Time was funny in this place. It seemed to drag out forever. The little Otaku didn't even know if their break had ended, and school had started back.

As if on cue though she recognized the pain returning from when someone close to her pulled her from this little world, rather than when she peeked out. When Konata opened her eyes, she could see Yu-chan with a worried look on her face. The smaller girl was rubbing Konata's hair, and when she noticed Kona looking over at her, she said, "Hey, don't worry okay? This time I'll take care of you."

Kona felt incredibly relieved to have the smaller girl beside her, that calmed her even more than her father had. Even so it hurt to be here, but she would stay a little while despite it. Konata didn't blush when her stomach rumbled audibly, she had hardly eaten anything lately, and she was starving. Although the blue haired girl felt bad when Yutaka left her to get something for the older girl to eat, she was very grateful for the hot bowl of ramen that was brought back.

It only took a couple bites before Kona couldn't continue eating anymore. Despite being very hungry she just couldn't bring herself to eat any more than that, and she relaxed back into her bed, momentarily wondering if she deserved all of this. If the blue haired girl had been a better person who had deserved Kagami's love, then she wouldn't be alone right now.

The melancholic train of thought inevitably reminded her of the pain she was still feeling in her heart. Kona was alone, and she knew it. As she sunk back within herself again though, the pain inside of her spoke up, and said,

**We're not alone. Move on, face me.**

Konata couldn't though. Not as long as that other voice still continued to urge her to love Kagami over everyone and everything else, but now Konata began wondering. Did she in fact care about Kagami more than everyone she was hurting? Kagami had hurt her so badly, she didn't know if she would ever get better. Just the load of all the sensations made her tired, no matter how much she rested, she just seemed to become more exhausted.

Konata felt empty. Her strength to endure was fading. Everything was going black again now, and she couldn't even feel Yutaka's touch anymore. She was fading back into her little world even as she struggled to stay in the real one despite the pain. It was getting harder to not stay in that little area inside of herself. Each peek took more strength than the last. Soon she may not come out at all. Even with those thoughts, fear didn't take her. Only loneliness.

Nearly an hour later, Yutaka stood up, and left to get her Uncle. One of them always kept watch over her. Sojiro had even stayed all day in there during the first day school had started back, and he would probably do the same on the next day. Even so the small girl wanted to stay there with Konata, who always took care of her when she was sick. It was only natural she should want to do the same.

Still, she had homework to finish, and even then she was going to have to call Minami for help with it. Yutaka had been much too distracted in school to possibly pay attention in class. The tiny girl could hardly believe she had even written the assignment down. Her trip downstairs to the kitchen to fetch her Uncle was disturbed by a knock at the door though.

Sojiro, managed to get there before his niece, and opened the door to find a very attractive blonde woman at the door. His mind immediately flashed to a sim game he had once played where beautiful women were sent to men who really needed a pick-me-up, and was almost lost in his fantasy when he heard Yutaka exclaim from behind him, ruining the suave line that surely would have won her over. A small exclamation to be sure, but still, that shouted, "Kuroi-sensei," sort of ruined the chances of her being a melancholic lottery girl.

The blonde woman had come to see Konata immediately after she could leave the school since she had heard from Tsukasa and Miyuki about the sort of condition her closest student was in. She announced, "Sorry to come over without calling first, but I forgot to check Izumi's number before I left, and I still have a lesson plan to get done tonight, so I couldn't waste time going back."

Sojiro was a bit unsure how to talk to this lady, pretty much his every action around her previously should have caused her to instantly distrust him, and he was also a little sure she seemed blunt for a teacher. Then again, this woman was the only person who had ever actually made Konata do her homework without a bribe, so he knew her force of will, and bluntness would probably be something he should reckon with.

Still, the tense mood was quickly broken, by cute innocent Yu-chan, as oblivious as Tsukasa, saying, "Aren't teachers supposed to make their lesson plans on the break? Iwasaki-san told me they even stay two days after the break begins just for that. How did you teach your class if you didn't have one ready?"

Nanako raised her fist to her chest, and looked like she was about to retort harshly, but as she looked into Yutaka's big innocent eyes, the retort was cut off. She couldn't do it. As a role model, and as a person, she couldn't crush this poor girl's innocent spirit, it would be wrong. Her mouth hung open, forming the first syllable of the comeback, when Sojiro chuckled, and said, "Yeah, she does that to all of us."

Yutaka looked back and forth between them confusedly, saying, "What? I don't understand."

The two adults brushed her off, and thankfully the tension now seemed broken, and this strange woman in Sojiro's home seemed much more approachable with her true colors now shown. So _this_ was the woman who could nag even Konata off of her computer. Her long hair was nearly as long as Konata's but it was sloppily tied in a black ribbon. Sojiro was pretty sure he could have tied it up with a much cuter bow or something.

Still, he pretty much knew why she was here, and was grateful she cared enough about Konata to come over. Back when she was in junior high, they hadn't even seemed to care when she had taken ill for a week, and this woman was here on the first day she was aware of the real sickness. Sojiro quickly became serious, and told her, "Konata's not really doing that well. At least she ate today though, she's only gotten about twelve hours of sleep in the last three days though. The rest of the time she just lays there with her eyes closed, sometimes she mumbles things noone can understand."

The blonde woman could tell this blue haired man was worried sick about his daughter. It was really a shame, if it weren't for the light bags under his eyes, he may have been pretty cute. She liked men who left a little stubble on their chin. Too bad she had heard all about his personality from Konata. Who often went on and on about all the weird things she worried would happen to him.

Nanako asked them, "Can you show me up to Konata's room please? I'd like to see her if it's alright."

Konata's father immediately replied, "By all means, please go see her, it's the first door on the left after you go up the stairs. I need to go make supper though, she ate some ramen earlier, so hopefully she'll eat something more tonight. You know she always talks about you, so hopefully you'll be able to get some response out of her."

With that, Sojiro, headed towards the kitchen, and Yutaka, who didn't seem to realize she was supposed to be the one showing Kuroi-sensei to Konata's room followed him saying, "I'll help Uncle. Remember what happened last night when you made it alone?"

That left Nanako standing alone in the entryway looking after them, and thinking, "What an appropriate family for that runt."

She looked around on her way to the stairs, and noticed the cleaning was a bit rough, there were things lying in spaces an amateur wouldn't think to look, and nothing looked like it had been dusted for days. "I guess this is bound to happen without a mother in a household", Kuroi thought to herself.

Kuroi climbed the stairs, and noticed the first door on the left already had its door open, so she let herself in without knocking to find herself in a cool room with some anime figures posing in different places. There was a big Haruhi poster on the wall, but that was expected of Izumi. Nanako sighed as she saw the bookshelf in the room was covered with nothing but manga, and anime. This girl's father obviously wasn't enforcing very strict limitations on his daughter.

The room was dark except for a little bit of light coming through the window from the setting sun. The storm had ended two days ago, and everything outside was still pretty drenched, but the sunlight was warm despite the season. It took the blonde woman a few moments to realize the little lump she was looking at on the bed was Konata. Kona laid up, not moving, just seemed wrong from such an energetic young woman.

The concerned teacher immediately took a seat in the computer chair next to her ailing student, and examined the smaller girl. She had deep dark bags under her eyes, and was also looking a little pale. Honestly Kuroi thought she should probably be in the hospital, she would have to discuss that particular issue with Konata's father.

Suddenly Nanako was seized with worry, and even a little grief. She hadn't realized exactly how bad Konata was doing from her student's description. This girl was a very important person to her. She was one person the blonde woman always looked forward to seeing. She even stayed up late some nights just to watch her computer, and make sure Konata wasn't neglecting her studies.

Konata could say she was a nag all she wanted, Nanako Kuroi wouldn't let this girl's potential be wasted. She had seen how intelligent Konata could be on many occasions, and despite that, the little Otaku's childish antics, and obvious pleas for attention had earned her a special place in this teacher's heart.

When Ms. Kuroi had met Konata, she had been a lonely girl, too afraid to reach out, and make friends in real life. She had been so shy, and yet had so much energy to let out once someone spent time with her. Kuroi had trouble leaving a single item all alone on a shelf in a store, much less a young girl with no friends begging for love. It had only been a matter of time before her feelings for the small girl had become more intense than they probably should have been for a normal teacher student relationship.

Nanako was a caretaker by nature, as much as she hated to admit it to herself. She couldn't leave something alone that obviously needed her. So she had grown close to this small blue haired girl, and even given her the push she needed to go out, and make some friends. She constantly warned Konata about being lazy, and surprisingly she had found herself answering the girl's questions about womanhood, and feelings she had as she grew into an adult.

To see this girl she cared so much for broken, and hurting in a bed, was almost too much for the teacher to bear. She couldn't help but leave the chair, and sit on the bed, raising Konata up a bit, and letting the smaller girl lean against her while Nanako wrapped her arms around her student, and wasn't surprised to feel a couple tears falling.

Konata muttered, "Kagami? Is that you?"

The blonde woman replied, "Nope. Guess again."

Konata's posture changed, even though she hadn't moved much, something seemed different about her. Maybe this was what happened when Konata decided to be aware of the world around her. Konata responded very quietly, almost in a whisper, "Momma? Is it really you?"

Nanako hugged the girl tightly, obviously she hadn't become more aware. Deep inside she was still just a scared girl wanting someone to love her. Nanako really had to try hard not to weep.

Konata didn't understand what was going on. All of a sudden she felt warm. She was warm all over. It was an alien feeling to her, and yet it was so familiar. The voices had stopped, and the monotony was broken by silence. Peaceful silence, but there was still the matter of the new voice. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fight her way back to the real world, this new voice comforted her, and deep down she was terrified if she left, this new comforting voice would be gone.

She yelled with all her might, "Kagami? Is that you! Help me, please! I'm scared!"

The voice came back, and suddenly Konata didn't feel like she was floating in this space. Her feet were on firm ground, even though it was still black. The warmth was growing, and now Konata could feel the arms wrapped around her, comforting her, but the sweet voice said from behind her, "Nope. Guess again."

Konata couldn't believe how safe these slender arms around her made her feel. It was almost all she needed, it was almost as great as Kagami herself, who could this person be? Konata now realized by looking down at herself that she was a small child again. Her hair was even short like she had worn it when she was a little girl. She wasn't frightened though, this was how things _should_ be. She turned, and hugged the larger, but still small blue haired figure who had appeared in this place to comfort her. Kona looked up into the face of her mother, and said, "Momma? Is it really you?"

There was silence for a long while before Konata could pluck up the courage to speak again. She asked this angel, "So. Does this mean I died, is that why I can't go back?"

Kanata's grip tightened on Kona, and she said in a supportive manner, "You're not dead baby. We all just want you back okay?"

Now Kona's heart lifted. Could she really be wanted? Still, the small blue haired child was frightened, noone could face that sort of pain and not be scared to death. To go back would be an inhuman strain on her, and to know how much hurt was waiting for her once she emerged just made it seem impossible. She hugged her mother back, and cried openly, she managed to say through her tears, "I can't go back there momma."

The radiant figure of her mother kissed Konata lightly on the forehead, and patted her child's head, saying, "Why can't you come back Kona?

The small child that was Konata spoke again, "It hurts too bad. How come I have to hurt like this mom? It's not fair."

Kanata looked into her daughters eyes, and dried her tears, even though more immediately replaced them, and said, "I don't know baby. Why are you hurting?"

Konata couldn't believe her mother couldn't see something as simple as that, but it couldn't be helped. She said, "She left me momma. She said we'd be together forever! She promised me! I love her so much. I need her to be with me, there's no way I can face that kind of pain without her."

"So that's what it was?" the blue haired woman said as she renewed her tight hug on her daughter. Now light seemed to be spreading across everything she could see. It all radiated from the beautiful figure of her mother. Konata couldn't ever remember talking with her mother, but it was obvious what a caring, and incredible person she was even from a few minutes in her presence. No wonder her dad hadn't been able to give up on her even though there had probably been a million more attractive guys after her.

Konata said, "If I don't have her. Then it's just not worth the pain. It's not worth the struggle to go back."

Kanata replied, "What about all of us that are waiting for you here? Don't you want to come back to us?"

The blue haired child responded, "Yeah. I love all of you. It's just...it's just...I don't know. When she left, I was empty. My teacher once said, 'It takes more than one river to fill the ocean.', well Kagami's the ocean. Without her, it's just not enough to support everything else."

Her mother's reply made her feel uneasy for the first time since she had been held by the angelic blue haired woman. The response was, "So, you were paying attention, eh? Wish that happened a little more often."

That didn't make any sense, but even with her uncertainty it didn't change that she felt safe and warm being held. The light was now all around her, and lines of it were spreading through mother, looking like jagged cracks in glass. Konata asked, "You're not my momma are you?"

Kanata shattered in a thousand tiny pricks of light before Konata's eyes, but still the child felt warm, she wasn't worried about this mother's disappearance. She loved her mother, but she hadn't ever even known her, why would she be sad just because she couldn't see her? Besides, now there was someone else here for her, someone she knew and loved. Konata felt happiness for the first time since she came to this place. Kanata's voice was gone, and now a new voice came, saying, "I love you like my very own little girl, don't ever doubt it."

Now Konata could hear a distant roaring noise, like massive amounts of wind rushing in the distance, and she realized the white wasn't light, it was like smoke, but not quite. She realized they were clouds big white ones, but she wasn't quite to them yet. She was still in the darkness, but she could now see where she was heading as she began to fall, she smiled happily, and said, "I love you too Momma-sensei"

The wind was now all around her, filling her ears, vertigo assaulted Konata as she couldn't decide which way was up or down since all she could see were clouds and the blue of the sky, she was no longer a child, and her hair was flapping noisily. Konata couldn't breathe from the wind pressing her so hard, but even with the wind roaring in her ears she clearly heard Nanako say, "Don't you leave us like this Konata."

Konata was now on the verge of passing out. She couldn't inhale at all, but she was still happy to be in this familiar place, falling towards her dream. It wasn't the first time she had come here. She had come here very often in fact, and she knew if she could stay awake for just a few more moments, something amazing was going to happen. Kona could feel it in every fiber of her tiny blue haired being. She shouted over the wind, "Don't worry mom, I'm not dying, I'm just tired."

Things were darkening again now. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was back in that dark place. She knew though, as long as she didn't give up. There was someone on the outside who never would either. She needed to stay strong for when Kagami came back to her. She wouldn't doubt her best friend, and the younger woman she loved so much. Kagami would come back to her as soon as she could, she was just lost. Konata couldn't endure any longer, her eyes closed on the world of the sky, and she found herself in the peaceful silent blackness.

The blackness of sleep enveloped her. Sure the voices may come back when she awakened, and her pain and loneliness might come back too, but Konata was certain that the voice of her mother would be there as well. Telling her to fight her growing weakness. The loneliness, and the sadness.

Kuroi felt really drained for some reason she couldn't understand. Konata was sleeping peacefully in her arms now. Real sleep, cute sleeping face included, just like the time they had stayed in that hotel. The blonde haired woman slid out from under Konata, and carefully placed her head back on her pillow.

Nanako looked at her hands, to see they were shaking. When she had come over here she hadn't expected anything like what had just happened. She didn't think that she had experienced such an intense flood of emotion in her entire life. As the blonde haired woman wiped tears from her eyes she thought seriously to herself, "So this is what it's like to be a mother. I love it."

Kuroi looked down on her little angel sleeping, and bent over to kiss her cheek, and tuck her in. There was no sense in risking her developing a fever on top of everything else after all. Then the new mother left her precious baby's room, and went downstairs where she heard some shouting. There was black smoke now spilling out of the kitchen, and she could see a small fire in the skillet on the stove Sojiro had been cooking with.

Yutaka looked as if she was going to faint, and Sojiro was rapidly blowing on it, which was only serving to make it bigger. Yutaka grabbed a water nozzle from by the sink, and shouted to her uncle, "Quick use this to put it out."

Sojiro grabbed it, stretching the hose as far as it would go, and pointing it towards the stove, while saying, "Good thinking Yu-chan!"

He was about to let the water loose when Kuroi came out of nowhere, smacking them both on the head, leaving rather sizable lumps. She calmly covered the fire with the lid that belonged on the skillet, and moved it off the burner. The fire was extinguished as soon as it's air ran out a second later, and Nanako removed the lid to see some still smoking shriveled up black pieces of bacon.

She hadn't counted on this family being so helpless without her. How could she possibly leave them if they were going to burn themselves alive trying to feed themselves. Besides, she now had her daughter to think of, no matter what anyone said, Konata was going to be her little girl, adult already or not.

She now turned to Sojiro, and Yutaka with her arms crossed, seeing they were both avoiding eye contact with her, and looking ashamed. She sighed, and told them, "Geez, are you two completely helpless? Clear out, I'll make supper now. There's no way I'm leaving Konata alone here if you're going to try and roast the place anytime you're hungry, so you better get a place ready for me to sleep."

Sojiro wasn't quite sure if he had heard this woman correctly. Had she said, she was staying over? A cute adult woman wanting to stay there? Still he wasn't quite sure he appreciated being bossed around in his own home, so he decided assert his dominance by saying something clever, but as he met the blonde haired woman's eyes, his comment failed before it even began, and he thought better of trying a rebuttal. He wasn't too keen on sporting a lump on top of his lump.

She could stay if she wanted, he would be more than happy to have another pretty lady in the house. He was lost in his imaginings for a moment, and when he came out of them he saw he was receiving a death glare from Kuroi, who said, "I can't cook with you standing there blocking half the kitchen."

The blue haired man looked around noticing Yutaka had already evacuated, and was peeking at him from around the small wall that divided the kitchen from the entryway, and living room. He decided it was probably a wise decision to join her quickly, still as he walked away he couldn't help but utter, "Yan-yan much?", This earned him a spoon hitting the back of his head painfully, but when he turned around, Nanako was already busying herself looking through the refrigerator, and cabinets as if nothing had been viciously hurled from her direction. It wasn't long before she was chopping up some vegetables, and preheating the oven.

Sojiro decided to stay out of this overbearing woman's way for the time being, and went to check on his daughter. He climbed the stairs, leaving Yutaka below to start on the homework she had asked him about which had distracted him from cooking their meal like he usually did when Konata was sick. As he entered the room, the first thing he noticed was Konata's deep slow breathing. She was asleep. Completely asleep, and then he saw she was tucked in tightly.

He smiled as he saw his daughter looking so peaceful for the first time in days. Had that woman really been able to accomplish so much since coming here only a short time before. She certainly didn't waste time. She already made the whole atmosphere of the place seem brighter, and he considered that he might ask her to stay for more than a night, especially if she could keep Konata resting peacefully.

Sojiro left his daughter's peaceful resting, not wanting to disturb her as she slept, and headed back down stairs to maybe watch television, and talk to Yutaka. His lump winced with pain once again as he looked towards the kitchen, and saw Nanako cooking, and expertly handling all aspects of the kitchen, maybe even as well as Konata did.

He headed into the living room where Yutaka was already on the phone with Minami, asking for help, so that was out. He flipped through the channels on the television until he found a rerun of his favorite mecha series, and decided to watch it.

Right after it ended, Nanako was in there saying, "Alright everyone. Come on and eat up. It'll likely be the best meal you've had for days so I made plenty, dig in, I don't want any leftovers."

The three moved into the kitchen, and sat at the table she had prepared. It had been quite a while since he had eaten here, usually choosing to eat in the company of the television, but something told him not to bring that up. Nanako had told them, she had made some soup for Konata, but didn't want to try, and feed it to her until she had rested as long as she could. There wasn't much talking at the table as they ate, but it wasn't an unpleasant silence. When the meal ended, Sojiro eyed Nanako seriously for once, and said, "Thank you."

She laughed at his seriousness, and said, "Wow. It's nothing really, I just made supper, I didn't cure cancer."

Sojiro smiled inwardly. He hadn't thought this woman to be the modest type. He could tell full well she knew what he was thanking her for. He couldn't help but think it would be nice having her around.

* * *

Author's Note: I really hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll admit I thought it was getting sad again, so I tried to mix in some happy moments, and relief. As far as Kuroi goes, I've personally always imagined her to be the motherly type, and especially towards Konata, so this development only seemed natural to put in my story. It was one of the few events I had planned when the story began, although at that time I didn't know I was going to have Konata bedridden, and her condition worsening. I'm not very good at explaining the condition in the story, so if you have any trouble understanding the way I see her problems, then just pm, and ask me about it, and I'll explain as best I can how I see her condition.

I also figured since the last chapter focused on Kagami so much, I should give Kona some time in the spotlight, but this was really a chapter about bonding, or at least it was intended to be. I wanted to show how close Kuroi had become to Konata over the years without even realizing it.

Also I want to thank you all, and I mean all of you this time. You were all incredibly supportive to me. I really appreciate it very much. Even when someone on here gives a negative review I'm very pleased to see them telling me how I can improve. Hopefully there are less grammar mistaken, and spelling errors in this chapter because I read through it like five times trying to spot that stuff, but you can never catch them all. (Unless we're referencing Pokemon of course.)


	17. Growing Up!

Chapter 17 Growing Up!

Tsukasa woke up early, and even though she really just wanted to go back to sleep until the normal time she woke up, the younger twin knew Miyuki would be there soon to visit with Kagami before school. Kagami had been brought home the night before, and she still hadn't woken up, although the doctor said that's normal for someone who was as weakened as Tsukasa's older sister had been.

Tsukasa had gone to school the day before, and she had told Ms. Kuroi what was wrong with Konata. She had also told Yuki-chan as they had walked to school without Kagami or Konata. It had seemed really depressing to not hear them bickering, and their funny conversations, but Tsukasa still had fun being with the pink haired girl.

She climbed out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and freshen up for the day. It didn't take her long to get ready despite being groggy, and soon she was back in her own room, changing into her school uniform as morning light peeked through her window. Once she was done changing Tsukasa went downstairs to prepare something for her lunch during the day.

She quickly, and skillfully whipped up some rice cakes, and a little chicken left over from the night before she mixed up with lettuce so she could have a chicken salad. It wasn't until Tsukasa was finished that she realized she had made two lunches. For a moment she was saddened as Tsukasa remembered her sister, who still hadn't woken up, but then she remembered Yuki-chan usually bought her lunch at school, so today she would just get to have something homemade for her. Tsukasa smiled, because she knew Miyuki would really appreciate something like that.

Now that lunch was prepared though, it was time for breakfast. She was about to start making something, when her eldest sister entered the room. Tsukasa smiled, and called to her sister, "Onee-chan! Good morning."

Inori smiled at her youngest sister. It was odd to see her so cheerful or even awake this early in the morning, but Inori responded, "Hey Tsukasa. What are you doing up so early?"

Tsukasa responded brightly, "Well. Yuki-chan is coming over to see Kagami this morning before we leave for school, so I needed to get up early to greet her. Right now I'm going to make breakfast for everyone."

Inori couldn't help but think to herself how cute her youngest sister was. She was always thinking of everyone else, and her selfish side was almost nonexistent. Inori decided to help out her younger sister, by saying, "Well. Don't worry about it. You go get all your stuff ready for school, alright? I'll take care of breakfast."

Tsukasa's eyes glittered as she responded, "Really? Oh thank you Onee-chan. I had forgotten I need to get my textbooks ready, I would have left them behind."

Tsukasa was rubbing the back of her head with her left hand as she spoke with a little blush, but she quickly started making her way up the stairs, and towards her room just down from Kagami's. The younger girl wanted to peek in on her twin, but she was afraid she'd disturb her, so Tsukasa decided against it, and moved past the door into her own room.

Tsukasa made her way over to her desk, and grabbed all the textbooks she thought she needed that day, and placed them in the bag hanging from the desk chair. After that she quickly checked her hair again in a small mirror, and once satisfied, she looked at the clock, and saw that Miyuki was late. That was unlike her, and with everything that had been going on, it worried Tsukasa that her friend wasn't on time as her mind quickly jumped to all sorts of bad things that could have happened.

As Tsukasa was about to give a call though, she heard a knock on the front door, and rushed down just in time to see Inori opening the door for Miyuki. The younger twin was greatly relieved, and ran over to her friend, saying, "Yuki-chan, I'm glad you're here. I was getting worried because you were late."

Miyuki paused in the doorway, stopping Inori from closing the front door as she blushed, and said, "Yes. Well, it's bit embarrassing, but on the way here I passed a park, and a puppy ran up to me, so I started petting it. Then I just kept petting it, and I didn't realize it at the time but I was petting it for nearly fifteen minutes."

Miyuki now realized she was blocking the eldest Hiragi sister, and stepped out of the doorway, and blushed again as Inori gave her a smile, and chuckled as she closed the door. Tsukasa just smiled, and thought, "That's definitely something Yuki-chan would do."

Miyuki was all ready for school with her bag strapped on, and she was carrying a big bouquet of flowers for Kagami, so they just needed to stop in the older twin's room before setting out for school. It only took a minute for Tsukasa to lead Miyuki up to Kagami's room, and they entered quietly without knocking.

Kagami lay on the bed snoozing peacefully, just like Tsukasa had last seen her before going to bed the night before. The air in the room was solemn as Miyuki placed the bouquet on Kagami's desk, and retreated back to where Tsukasa was standing by the door. They just looked at Kagami for a few minutes, not wanting to say anything to disturb her rest.

Once they had said their individual prayers for Kagami's health in their minds, the two girls backed out of Kagami's room, and shut the door. Tsukasa noticed after closing the door, her hands were shaking. Those moments had been really intense. It was never easy seeing someone you cared for in really bad condition.

Tsukasa gathered herself over the next few seconds, trying to think of something to lighten the mood without seeming awkward, and then she remembered the lunches, and told Miyuki, "Oh, Yuki-chan, I made you a lunch today, so you won't have to buy one at school."

Miyuki nodded towards Tsukasa, and said, "Thank you very much. I really appreciate you going through that effort for me."

Tsukasa giggled at the praise, and said, "Oh, it was nothing."

The two girls chatted idly while they walked towards the train station. About halfway there, they began to discuss Konata, and Tsukasa informed Miyuki about everything Kagami had told their family. Miyuki was silent for a few moments after hearing the news of the love confessions between the two girls, but she said, "Oh, that's wonderful. I'm sure Izumi-san would be excited to hear that news. When I last saw her, she seemed really depressed. I could hardly even get her to talk, which is incredibly abnormal for someone usually so boisterous. "

Tsukasa nodded as Miyuki spoke, and said, "Yeah, she's usually so energetic and happy, but she didn't sound like that at all on the phone. We should go over after school and cheer her up, I bet if we think about it all day, we can come up with a great idea Yuki-chan."

"That's very considerate of you Tsukasa, I would love to.", responded Miyuki happily. Tsukasa could tell Miyuki enjoyed the thought of cheering Konata up very much.

The trip to the station seemed odd without Kagami and Konata joining. Usually Kagami and Tsukasa would meet up with Konata on the train, and meet Miyuki later on, but the trip still seemed odd. The younger twin really hoped Kagami would be joining them in the next couple days, but for the time being she knew she needed to focus on some way to help Kona-chan.

She racked her mind for things Konata liked, and started forming a list of ideas that might possibly work. She thought about how Konata had talked about a dog in one of her games, so maybe bringing a puppy would cheer her up, puppies could make anyone happy.

Following similar trains of thought, Tsukasa barely even noticed when her and Miyuki boarded the train. She stumbled as it set out, and Miyuki tried to grab onto the lavender haired girl to stop her from falling, but she stepped towards Tsukasa too fast, and tripped over the smaller girl's feet, and they both went down on top of each other, causing a few people to chuckle, and two people came over to help them up as both girls blushed, and headed towards open seats.

After recovering from her embarrassment Tsukasa decided to stop dwelling on all the sad stuff that had been going on lately, and just enjoy her time spent with her friend. Tsukasa's friends always made her feel better when something was wrong. Sometimes they were funny, and sometimes they were serious, but they were always happy when they were together.

Miyuki and the younger Hiragi twin didn't focus on anything in particular on the rest of their journey to school. Sure they were both worried about Konata and Kagami, but they also still had each other, and it felt wrong to act so glum when it was a beautiful day to be alive, and they were looking forward to seeing all of their favorite people once they arrived.

When entering the schoolyard though, Tsukasa paused, and said, "Hey Yuki-chan?"

Miyuki looked back at her friend, and responded, "What is it Tsukasa?"

The smaller girl appeared in deep thought for a few moments, and then she tilted her head, and asked, "Didn't something seem odd about the train ride to school?"

Miyuki now put her hand on her chin, and joined Tsukasa in the deep thought, after a few seconds though, Miyuki's face lit up, and she said, "Now that you've mentioned it. Yutaka wasn't on the train. She should have gotten on two stops before us. Maybe she's staying home to take care of Izumi-san?"

Tsukasa nodded, and accepted the explanation, but she didn't think that was it. This was probably the first time Tsukasa had ever disagreed with what Miyuki thought. She remembered Yutaka had been on the train the day before, why would she not be there today? Even as she was thinking that she spotted Yutaka on the other side of the schoolyard heading towards the first year branch of school with Minami.

"I wonder how she got here.", mumbled Tsukasa to herself as she followed Miyuki into the main building where they headed upstairs to wait for class to begin. They were only there for a few moments before their teacher Ms. Kuroi walked in, surprisingly she was early today. She usually didn't show up until within thirty seconds of class starting.

Tsukasa didn't bother trying to figure out why everyone's commuting was all messed up from the way it usually was. She knew that she had more important things to think about. Things like figuring out a way to make Konata happy. Not for the first time, she wondered if Konata was even going to want to be friends with Kagami anymore.

Kagami hadn't been lying when she said she had done something terrible. Tsukasa had had a hard time believing Kagami could even do something like that, but she thought maybe the fever had been affecting Kagami's judgment more than she realized. Her big sister would never hurt her friends, and she even said she was in love with Kona-chan, so that would be even more true.

Tsukasa didn't know at all what to think on that topic, but she made up her mind to believe Kagami had thought she was doing the right thing for Konata. As far as Konata went, there was still nothing Tsukasa could think of to help her. Almost all Konata had said was she wanted to talk to Kagami, but that wasn't an option. At this point the younger twin considered pretending to be Kagami in order to cheer up Konata, but she knew almost immediately that wouldn't work. It could possibly end up hurting Kona even more.

Before Tsukasa had even realized it, lunch time had rolled around, and Tsukasa was surprised to see Misao, and Ayano coming into their classroom almost immediately after lunch time began. That was a rare thing indeed as those two usually ate lunch together in their own class.

Misao called out loudly as soon as she entered the room, "Oi, Little Hiragi!"

Ayano blushed a little at her friend's unnecessary unsubtle behavior, but she too looked happy to see Tsukasa, and she quickly crossed the room over to where Tsukasa and Miyuki were pulling out their lunches. The two new arrivals sat down by the two girls who belonged to the class, and Tsukasa immediately noted the worried look on Ayano's face.

It looked really different from her usual placid and calm demeanor, and Tsukasa couldn't help but think this was wrong. Misao, stated loudly, "Hey! This is the second day your sister has been gone. Is she sick or somethin', or did she finally get up the nerve to start being a faker like the midget?"

Tsukasa felt her jaw slacken a little, how could she have been so insensitive? Tsukasa hadn't ever even thought to tell Misao and Ayano about what was going on. She had completely forgotten about that with everything that had been happening in the last few days. She didn't feel really great when she remembered there might still be a few others who didn't know if Yutaka hadn't filled in their first year friends.

Tsukasa quickly started telling them what all had been going on with Kagami with her sickness, and even found herself telling them about Konata, but she felt it was better not to talk about their romantic relationship until the two involved could work that out for themselves. The story sounded odd, and seemed to have a few holes without mentioning the love confessions, and Tsukasa thought she may have said too much, until Ms. Kuroi came over, and began telling them, "Both of them are very sick right now. I've heard though, that Kagami is going to be just fine."

That set them at ease, but Misao now seemed a little worried, and she resisted as Ayano tried to lead her out of the class, and she said, "Hey, you said Hiragi was gonna be just fine, but what about chibi? She's going to be alright too, right?"

Tsukasa saw a worried look pass over her teacher's face for the briefest of moments before it was hidden again. She didn't understand why she had suddenly become more aware of everyone around her, maybe it was because Kagami just wasn't here to look after her. Even so that worried look didn't make Tsukasa happy. The younger twin wondered if maybe Ms. Kuroi knew something more about Konata than she did. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kuroi saying, "Look you two. This isn't really something that I would be allowed to talk to you about. As a teacher, I have to respect the Izumi family's privacy even if I want to tell you what's happening, I can't do it without permission. Needless to say, if I found out Konata wasn't going to get any better, there's no way I wouldn't tell all of you. You're her friends after all, you have a right to know at least that much."

The first thing that struck Tsukasa as odd about those words was that her teacher had referred to Kona-chan as Konata, not her usual formal address of Izumi. Secondly, those words seemed heavy, they hadn't sounded very good at all, and Tsukasa couldn't help but think how weak Konata had sounded on the phone. For the first time she allowed herself to wonder if maybe Kona-chan wasn't going to get better. That thought scared her badly. Tsukasa suddenly found her hands quivering as she considered she might not ever eat lunch with Konata again, and she felt a warm stinging in the corner of her eyes.

Tsukasa managed to fight back the tears though. She told herself that there was more than enough sadness around, and her friends were already worried enough without her acting like a baby. She wanted nothing more than to run home to Kagami, and just cry in her arms, but that wasn't going to make Kona-chan better, and it wasn't going to make Miyuki happy, or anyone, so she decided to stay strong.

Misao seemed angry now though, and she said, "Don't give me that privacy stuff! We've known each other for years! If something is wrong with the midget, then we should know about it too."

Misao was glaring at Kuroi, and Ayano seemed a little afraid at what such a bold address to a teacher could result in, but after a minute, she stood her ground beside Misao, and said, "I would also like to know. Please tell us, she's going to be okay isn't she?"

Tsukasa felt another lump in her throat, and it wasn't because she was sad now. She hadn't even realized until just a few moments ago how important Kona-chan was to her. She knew she always loved to be around the blue haired girl, but Konata really was like a sister to her. The younger twin could easily understand why Misao was getting worked up, surely she had just realized the same thing. Tsukasa was happy to see Miyuki now joining in, and asking Kuroi for information, and she rejoiced in her mind as she remembered the lonely looking girl who had always been by herself at the start of high school.

The lavender haired girl had almost forgotten how distant Konata had seemed when they first met. She never spoke up in class, she never ate lunch with anybody, and Tsukasa had always wondered if the smaller girl had any friends at all. When she had discussed it with Miyuki, the pink haired girl had affirmed that Konata never seemed to be with anyone but herself. Tsukasa had made up her mind though, that she wasn't going to let Konata be lonely.

She knew Kagami had always made her feel safe, and happy, and she had seen a chance to return the favor, and be a big sister to someone else. Even after she had become friends with the smaller girl, and learned the little Otaku was actually older than her, it was still easy to sometimes think of Konata as her little sister. With her tiny countenance, and childish demeanor Tsukasa had always been happy to see Kona happy, and she had always wanted to help take care of the older girl, but in the end, Kagami had ended up taking care of both of them, and eventually it had developed into something more.

Even so, now Tsukasa let her tears leak out, she was so happy for Konata. That lonely little girl, who had never seemed to have any friends before Tsukasa, now had many people who cared for her very much. In that moment, Tsukasa knew it was one of those times she needed to play big sister again. She needed to make sure everyone was okay, and stop the disputes, so she stood up, and said loudly, causing the few people who hadn't been watching the scene to turn and stare, "Stop it."

There was silence now, and the whole room was completely silent, even Kuroi was looking at her expectantly, and Tsukasa said, "There's no need to get like this everyone. If something's wrong with Kona-chan, sure we all want to know, and we all may be angry, or sad about it, but arguing here isn't helping anyone. So as soon as school ends, I'm going to get on the train, and head over to her house, and tell her how much everyone cares about her. I know just hearing that will help her, anyone else who cares about her should do the exact same thing."

Tsukasa realized at the end of her speech that Miyuki was smiling at her, and there were even a couple of people in the room who were giving her approving nods. Misao's jaw was actually hanging, and she rubbed her eyes, and took another good look at Tsukasa, saying, "Oi Hiragi! I coulda' sworn you were your twin for a minute there. You sure you didn't just cut your hair?"

Now the embarrassment of causing such a scene hit her as Tsukasa realized she was the center of attention she turned red, and wasn't really sure what she should do. Noone ever focused on her for very long, and now she had a crowded room watching her expectantly. Tsukasa rubbed the back of her head, and giggled, she felt like she was about to faint from the tension when Kuroi said, "Alright. That's enough for now. Everyone go back to lunch alright? When and if we talk about this again, it'll be done after class, like I said the Izumi family has a right to privacy too."

The focus quickly shifted away from Tsukasa, but she could see many people whispering about the event as they left class. Tsukasa doubted this would be the last she heard of her outburst, but for the time being, the pressure was off, and she felt much better as things returned to a normal lunch setting. Misao and Ayano didn't return to their class though, they sat down, and joined Miyuki and Tsukasa.

It almost seemed like everything really was back to normal. They chatted about random topics, and laughed many times in the half hour they were given before lessons resumed. Tsukasa's mind kept drifting back to her outburst though. She had never done anything like that before, and had made her feel really good. She had stopped everyone from getting mad, and she herself even felt better.

The younger twin started thinking that maybe they could help Konata after all. If she could stop her friends from making mistakes brought on by sudden feelings, maybe she could make Kona feel better. Secretly in her mind, she dreamed of helping Konata recover, and having the blue haired girl waiting by Kagami's bedside just so Konata could tell Kagami she loved her as soon as she awakened.

For the moment though, she was pleased with herself for saying her thoughts without reserve. It had felt very good to let her feelings out, and she wondered if maybe that's why Konata had always seemed so happy. She had hardly held back anything with her friends, it was one of the qualities Tsukasa absolutely loved about the smaller girl.

Lost in thought Tsukasa managed to pass the rest of the day quickly, even managing to miss the homework assignment as she determinedly stood up from her desk, and after waiting for Miyuki to ready her things, the younger twin marched out of her classroom only to find Misao, and Ayano waiting there smiling.

They made their way to the train station, and a few moments after they arrived Tsukasa saw more people getting on. Yutaka, Minami, Patty, and Hiyori were boarding, and Tsukasa smiled happily as she saw them all get on. She didn't know if they were coming because of what she had done earlier, or if Yutaka had managed to gather them, but she was grateful. It would probably take all of them to make Konata happy again.

They all stayed as close to each other as available spots on the afternoon train would allow, and they chatted happily, and laughed. Tsukasa knew she would always remember this train ride. It was a real shame they had never realized how much they had all come to care about each other until one of them was hurting.

Tsukasa let her mind drift to all the amazing times they could have had if they had all been together for some of the great moments she had shared with her three most precious people. This time though, she didn't get lost in her imaginings, there was no point after all. If she stayed contemplating what she should do, and what could have been, she would always be an airhead who missed out on how great everything happening right now was.

Tsukasa knew she would always remember this day as the day she grew up. After all, she had always wanted to be a big sister to the people she cared about, now she had Miyuki supporting her, Misao and Ayano were there as well, and she had the four younger girls who looked up to her. They had indeed decided on catching the afternoon train together because they had heard everyone talking about what Tsukasa had done.

The people at school who had been spreading the news of Tsukasa were telling all kinds of tales. They had said she had stopped a fight, that she had told off a teacher, that she was Kagami in disguise, but noone doubted that she could be a role model too, and all the versions of the story said she was just trying to make Konata feel better.

They all enjoyed their time of idle chat, and for the time being focused on all the happy things they could think of, because it wasn't long before those moments were gone, and a new feeling of seriousness took the group as they all followed Tsukasa down the road towards Konata's house. From the train to the Otaku's front door, the trip was made in silence.

Yutaka took the lead as they came into the area just outside the door, she opened the door without knocking since she lived there, and called out, "Uncle! I'm home, and a couple of friends are here to see Onee-chan! I hope that's okay."

Tsukasa heard Sojiro call out from inside "Of course that's okay! Are they still in uniform?"

In her new focused state Tsukasa could easily hear how forced that line was coming from him. She remembered Mr. Izumi being a bit creepy, but really nice, and funny. Now his voice just seemed tired though. Yutaka didn't seem to notice though, and Tsukasa was actually a little relieved when Mr. Izumi's genuine surprise and happiness seemed to come back suddenly when he saw eight young girls entering his home of their own free will. She heard him manage to squeak out something that sounded like, "Harem.", before he retreated out of their way, and they all managed to get into Konata's room.

This was the first time Tsukasa had seen Konata in her state. Her eyes were open a tiny bit, and she didn't even seem to notice them come in. She was pale from days spent without going outside, and her breathing was even a little faster than normal, enough to be noticeable. Somehow, Tsukasa could only think how she seemed so much smaller than normal.

The stinging feeling came back to her eyes as she saw her close friend like this. Tsukasa couldn't cry though. She noticed that Yutaka was tearing up, and everyone's hands were shaking or fidgeting in some way. Yutaka was trembling as she tried to repress the tears, but failed miserably, causing Minami to move in, and start drying them with a handkerchief.

Tsukasa watched as Patty was the first to move in. The blonde American gripped Konata's hand, and squeezed it. She then said, "Hey girl. I came to see how you're doing, but I really wasn't expecting this. You're looking pretty rough now, how are you supposed to dance with me on our weekend shift like this huh? You just make sure you get better, I don't think our manager will be mad at you for missing a couple shifts, so just rest up, alright?

Yutaka, and Minami moved in close behind Patty, Hiyori kept glancing back and forth between Konata, Yutaka and Minami. It looked like a war was raging in her mind, but finally she stepped around her two close friends, and moved in next to patty to talk to Konata, saying "Man, why do all the cool people have to get sick? I just want you to know though, I'm working really really hard on my art. I have some really great stuff ready for the winter Comiket. That'll be fun, and I even put your name in the credits since you were so supportive of my hobby. I was actually really worried I was a pervert or a freak or something since I was into all the doujin stuff, but now I know I can be cool and have close friends too. Thanks Konata, I really want to be a lot more like you."

The first two girls moved away, and now Yutaka, and Minami moved in where they had been while Patty, and Hiyori took a place by the door. Tsukasa couldn't help but mentally shake herself as she realized how much like a viewing before a funeral this was. That did nothing to improve the serious mood that had settled.

Everyone was quiet as Yutaka cleared her tears enough to say, "Onee-chan. Get better soon okay? I won't even ask you to help me with my homework all the time. I know you're really busy studying for college exams because sometimes I hear you up all night, and I can't help but think how stressful it must be to have to study so late into the night. Don't worry though, because I'll be here the whole time, and if you need anything, just tell me."

After finishing her words, Yutaka's tears stopped, she seemed really relieved to have said what she really wanted. Tsukasa wondered if the small girl would have had the courage to say it without her friends for support, and doubted it. Minami took Konata's hand, and bowed her head, saying, "Please. Please get better."

Short, and to the point, that was just like Minami, but Tsukasa couldn't help but note the waver in her voice. This quiet girl's emotion wasn't lost to her friends. As the two young girls went to join their friends by the door, it was now Misao's and Ayano's turn to talk. The two girls actually dropped to their knees so they could be at face level with Konata, who had barely reacted this entire time.

Ayano was the first to speak, saying, "Izumi-san. I know we were never all that friendly because we weren't in the same class, but I've always enjoyed the times you were around. Your mood can always lift a dull room, and Kagami always talks about what a great friend you are. I really hope you recover soon, and we can all go back to the way things were, but we'll definitely be around a lot more. I guess I never even realized how close we've all become."

Misao smiled at her best friend, and sighed before she started her own awkward speech. After a moment she gathered her thoughts, and said, "Hey chibi. It's Misao here, Hiragi's friend. I'm not gonna be all nice to you just because you're sick either. I guess you need some tough love. Aww...I can't do it."

Tsukasa was surprised to see tears on Misao's cheeks. The fanged girl had never really struck her as one of the more emotional ones of the group, but it was obvious the brown haired girl was hurting from seeing her friend in this state. Tsukasa moved in, and squeezed Misao's left shoulder reassuringly as Ayano squeezed the other, and the usually energetic Misao managed to continue, "It just ain't right seeing you like this. You're always so happy and cheerful it's like an infection. Everybody around you can't help but feel happy y'know? Now you're all laid up, and hurting, and there ain't even anything we can do to help you. Don't worry about being lonely though alright? Me and Ayano here will come see you every day, and as soon as Big Hiragi can get out of bed, I'll haul her over here too. I'm sure she'll be able to say something to make you feel better."

Misao stopped here, and her bottom lip was noticeably quivering as Ayano helped her up, and they moved back so Miyuki and Tsukasa could talk to their friend. Miyuki looked back and forth between Konata, and Tsukasa, and Tsukasa nodded for her to go first. The pink haired girl now held Konata's left hand, and said, "Izumi-san. I'm very glad to be back here. The other day I was very worried about you, and I still am, but I'm glad to see you anyways."

Now Konata started stirring for the first time since the small procession had started. Tsukasa felt like something tore a chunk out of her chest when she heard Konata moan weakly, "It hurts."

Miyuki kept going, but her hands were shaking even as she held Konata's own small hand in her own. She continued, "I always really love it when you ask me all those strange questions. When I was small my drive to learn was from the praise my mother gave me every time I learned something new, but the way you always praise me, and the way you always depend on me to answer questions has become really important to me as well. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but sometimes I go home and research things I think you would be likely to ask me, just so that I'll have an answer ready if you ever do ask. I also appreciate the closeness you allow for me. Many people are afraid of letting people get close to them, but you always open yourself up to us, and I feel really special that you trust me enough to let me see who you really are."

Miyuki could feel Konata squeezing her hand back, but the blue haired girl still didn't say anything. Even so, Miyuki was happy to see Konata responding to her words, and she couldn't help but break her long practiced formality to say, "Please get better Kona-chan. We all miss you so much."

Miyuki could feel herself about to tear up, but she held it in for Tsukasa's sake. She knew Tsukasa was the type who needed a lot of emotional support in times like these, and since Kagami wasn't there. As a friend it fell to the pink haired girl. Still, she gasped in surprise when Tsukasa hugged her, and said, "It's okay Yuki-chan. You don't have to hold it in. We all take care of each other."

Miyuki looked into Tsukasa's eyes, and saw there was something different about her. She didn't look any different, in that respect she was still her usual adorable self, but Miyuki could tell just from the way the younger twin was carrying herself, and supporting everyone that she was much stronger than Miyuki had thought. She might possibly be the strongest of any of them. As Miyuki reasoned it out, it actually made sense for Tsukasa to be the strong one for them.

She was always so sweet. She always accepted other people's flaws with a smile, and she always cheered everyone up when they were down. Tsukasa always worked really hard for the things she loved, and because of that she had become close to everyone around her. It made sense that she would be protective towards all of them. The usually air headed girl was the most caring person she had ever met, and the bigger girl couldn't help but feel foolish as it suddenly dawned on her what an incredible person Tsukasa had always just naturally been.

Tsukasa smiled, and rocked her bigger friend a she let her tears roll. Tsukasa herself wanted to cry as well, and she wasn't even holding back her tears, they just wouldn't come while someone else still needed to be comforted. Finally though Miyuki was calmed, and Tsukasa now gripped Konata's hand.

She wasn't sure what to say, and Tsukasa felt some of her usual distractedness come back as she tried to think of things that might make Konata happy. Tsukasa felt dumb after following that train of thought for a few moments though. The younger twin became really close to the people around her. She was very sensitive to their feelings, and could often sense when something was wrong with them, on that same note, she could also tell when someone was really happy, and Tsukasa knew. The things that made Konata happy were her friends.

Tsukasa squeezed the blue haired girl's left hand tightly in her own while she began stroking the soft blue hair of the smaller girl with her right. Konata opened her eyes all the way now, and seemed to become fully aware for the first time. She weakly squeezed Tsukasa's hand back, and Tsukasa could tell just from that little squeeze how badly Konata was doing.

She could hardly lift herself, so Tsukasa lifted her, and let the smaller girl lean against her. Konata looked at everyone who had come to see her, and smiled. Tsukasa was happy to see Konata smile. The lavender haired girl wrapped her right arm around Konata, and said, "We all came here to make you feel better Kona-chan. We all just want you to come back to us okay?"

Konata suddenly leaned heavily on Tsukasa, and said quietly, "Thank you."

It was so quiet the girls at the door couldn't even hear her whisper. Only Miyuki and Tsukasa knew what Konata was saying. The younger twin gripped her small friends hand tighter, and told her, "Don't worry Kona-chan. I'm going to bring Onee-chan here okay?"

Konata responded, "Kagamin? She's here?"

Tsukasa shook her head at the smaller girl, and said, "No. She's sick, just like you are, it could be a couple days, but as soon as I can I'll bring her to you."

The blue haired girl looked into Tsukasa's eyes, and grinned broadly this time. She could hardly hold herself conscious, but even now Konata was fighting. Tsukasa could tell she was holding out with everything she had for Kagami to come back to her, and it really moved her. The younger twin couldn't help but think how lucky Kagami was to have someone who loved her so much.

Konata said before closing her eyes, "Yeah. She's sick, so I need to take care of her. She sick, and she's scared, and she's lost Tsukasa."

Konata relaxed back against her close friend, and was very relieved even through the pain that even now was growing in her chest as Tsukasa whispered into the smaller girl's ear, "She's sick, and she's scared, but she isn't lost anymore Kona-chan. I'll bring her back to you. I promise."

With that Konata subsided back into her unaware state, and Tsukasa couldn't help but feel pain now, and a little anger. It wasn't fair. Konata was always so nice, and sweet, and she never hurt anyone without a good reason. She shouldn't have to suffer like this as soon as she had fallen in love. It was like some sick cruel joke.

Tsukasa was trembling as she thought honestly, if it would make everyone she cared about safe and happy, she would endure a thousand times any pain that was meant for them. It was a shame that Tsukasa's love for everyone around her wasn't what was needed right then, because if it were. Everyone in the world would have suddenly started to feel a thousand times better.

When Tsukasa let Konata rest easily back against her pillow, and bed, she noticed for the first time that Ms. Kuroi was there, and she was smiling. In that one smile, Tsukasa could see that Kona-chan just had another person who loved her, and Tsukasa promised herself that once Konata recovered, she'd never let any of her friends hurt like this again. No matter what it took, she would be there for the people she loved.

* * *

Author's Note: Alright. I finally managed to get a chapter out. For those of you wondering it's not because of writer's block or even sickness. I just had a whole lot of work to do, and have only had a few spare minutes to read and review other stories, but not really any time to sit and work on my own since my time not at my job was spent desperately trying to get enough sleep to stay awake through work the next day.

Anyways. I worked really hard on this chapter, and I tried to portray the characters as I've seen them, especially Tsukasa. Once again Tsukasa's character surprises me, when I went back, and watched the anime again, and started really thinking about how I thought she would act in a tough situation, I found that her natural caring attitude would overcome her awkwardness, at least in my mind, and she would become strong and dependable for the people who needed her.

As always I accept anyone's opinion who disagrees, and look forward to any critiques that can make the story better. I sincerely hope that this update was worth the wait, and can't wait until the next chapter is finished so I can show you all how much all of your advice and support is helping me.


	18. Awakening!

Chapter 18 Awakening!

Konata had had enough. Seeing her friends so sad had been the final straw. This blue haired Otaku was no longer content to float helplessly in her own misery, she was now fighting against her prison, and her voices as hard as she could until she just collapsed from exhaustion. It had been a very long time since she had been able to peek out of her prison, and now it was changing around her. Sometimes the darkness around her would turn gray or white, and sometimes she wouldn't be floating, but standing on solid ground. Her mind was a jumble, and those voices sometimes seemed like they were screaming in her ears while at other times they were whispers miles and miles away.

For right now though, the ground was solid, and seeing as she couldn't seem to feel anything outside of herself at the moment, she began walking. The blue haired girl didn't have a destination in mind since right now everything was just black, but while the voices were distant she knew there was only one thing that she could do. Konata had to find Kagami. Her time was running out, and she couldn't bear this place much longer before she just wouldn't be able to fight any more. The time for waiting on Kagami to come save her was gone. It was obvious now that her lavender haired love was the one who needed rescuing.

The little Otaku could feel the hardness of the night below her, and briefly wondered what was stopping her from just falling forever, into a pit that was never ending, and just swallowed her up like holes at the bottom of the screen in side scrolling games she often played. After what seemed hours though, Konata spotted a bit of white in the distance, and since she doubted she would find Kagami in the darkness, Konata headed towards the little speck of white.

The blue haired girl had no way of knowing how long she had been here, or even any way of keeping up with the passage of time, she was cut off from everyone she cared about, and everyone who cared about her, and with each step her loneliness grew. Even so she kept chanting the names of her loved ones in her thoughts, and pressed on.

Konata was looking for Kagami but the small girl also wanted desperately to make her friends feel better. She could remember how worried, and sad they had seemed to see her, and Kona didn't ever want them to look that way again. So she was going to find her love, and then find her way out so she could make everyone happy again, but there was no way she was going to look for an exit, and leave Kagami in this purgatory. Konata was determined that no matter how lonely, or how much she hurt, she was going to achieve her goal.

Suddenly the white seemed to be everywhere, and Kona could feel her consciousness drifting away as her mind was bombarded by images. Kona struggled to keep focused on her task, but was overwhelmed.

As the white faded from around her, blackness did not come back, but rather the white melted away until the small girl was looking at an even smaller blue haired girl in her own living room. Konata was excited for a moment, thinking that maybe she wasn't trapped anymore. Her dad was sitting on the couch smiling towards the television, and a small blue haired girl was on her knees, only three feet from the screen apparently riveted by what was playing.

"Hey dad.", said Kona quietly, noting he didn't react at all. It was obvious she couldn't be seen or heard. This should have unnerved her, but it didn't. It all seemed really familiar, so Konata stepped up to where the little girl was watching television, to see what she was so interested in. On the screen was a mecha anime, and at this scene it seemed a young man with brown hair was standing on top of his mobile suit. He was wearing a green sleeveless shirt, and tight blue shorts that went down to his knees.

Konata easily recognized him, and her memory was jolted, or rather she realized that this _was_ a memory. The Otaku remembered this very well, as she saw the young man in the anime press a button, and his mobile suit exploded. The little girl beside Konata actually shed some tears, and said, "No. Be okay."

Konata remembered that young man. She remembered how angry she had been at the writers of the show. How come he had to be all alone? It wasn't fair that only he had to be so alone when it was obvious he just wanted someone to love him, and people to care about in return. Konata had promised herself that day that if she ever met him, that she wouldn't let him be lonely ever again.

How old had Konata been at this point, she couldn't remember. Seven or eight years old seemed likely, but she wasn't positive. This was an important memory she had, one that she found herself reflecting on at the most random times, but it had never left her. Even so, staying here wasn't helping anyone, so the older blue haired girl started walking again as the memory faded around her.

The voices came back as she trekked on through the darkness, hoping to find another lead that would put her on the path to Kagami. The voices were back. Luckily they weren't at a level where they were making her head hurt, but they were still there, like people talking on the other end of a classroom from you. Konata tried to tune them out, but it couldn't be done if she was going to keep her focus on her Tsundere. So she walked with them as company.

**Everyone's trying to show us how important we are? Isn't it enough?**

_**No. She needs us to take care of her!**_

I need her.

**Can you really do that? Didn't she ask you if you could love her enough?**

_**We can love her more than anyone.**_

Wrong. I can love her more than anyone. Even so, it isn't enough. Someone like her deserves more than anyone can give.

**What makes her so important? We can still leave here. Just face us.**

_**You don't care about Kagamin! You hate her! Let us love her, she's more important than anything, ever.**_

**We love her too. We were hurt though.**

_**Is pain more important?**_

**No.**

_**Then why are you trying to make us hate her?**_

**We hurt, but we can't let our pain hurt everyone else. We need to move on. She's more important than anything, but she isn't more important than everything.**

You two still don't understand.

**What?**

_**What?**_

Everyone hurts. It's that simple. I know my Kagamin. She didn't want to hurt me, and I won't leave her here all alone. I promised forever too. So it's as much my fault for letting her leave, and now she's all alone too, so I have to find her. I bet she's looking for us right now as well.

**Aren't you angry! Don't you hurt!**

Yes.

_**You're blaming her?**_

I'm blaming both of us. I should have loved her more, I shouldn't have been too scared to just love her with all my heart. I should have let her know I love her so much that she doesn't ever need to be scared of anything. She needs to quit thinking so much, and just be who she wants to be without fear, whether she loves me or not. I guess we both made the same mistake.

As Konata spoke, the darkness around her seemed to become a little more dark, and she saw another point of light in the distance. The voices were silent while she walked towards it. Konata found herself in an odd trance as she walked. The little blue haired girl hardly thought or felt anything for the time being, focused only on the light ahead as she walked on for however long it took. It could be hours, days, weeks, even months, and she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference until she was swallowed up in white once more.

"Hey Dad?" said a preteen Konata to her father from the other side of the Kotatsu she was under.

Sojiro looked across to his daughter at the moment, unaware of the older version standing just behind her, and said, "What's up kiddo? You sound pretty serious."

The younger Kona blushed a little at her dad having seen through her, and after a minute she asked, "Why did you fall in love with mom?"

Sojiro smiled broadly at his daughter, probably wondering what things had made her suddenly ask about love, but his response had a serious tone despite his lighthearted look as he said, "I think you mean to ask how could I _not_ love your mother. She was absolutely beautiful, she was the nicest person I ever met. I remember the day I met her, she seemed really shy at first, but after I talked to her for a little while she was really energetic, and would never stop talking about all the things she liked. After that we pretty much became inseparable. Maybe that's why I fell in love with her. If you spend most of your life with someone you're bound to care about them, but at the same time, I knew it even when I was younger. Every morning when I woke up, I woke up looking forward to the time I would get to talk to her. I looked forward to being around her even when she was nagging me about homework, or trying to understand what I saw in anime and manga. I even enjoyed it when I said something stupid, and she'd scold me, but even then I don't know if that words it right. I suppose when you get down to it, I just had a feeling that I loved her more than anyone. You know?"

The younger Konata seemed very interested at this point, but her eyes seemed dull, like she was thinking some really sad thoughts. This younger Otaku said, "Hey dad. What's it feel like to be in love?"

Sojiro studied his daughter very seriously for a few minutes before he finally answered, "I don't think that's something I can even begin to explain Konata, sorry about that."

The younger Kona looked disappointed in his answer, and as Sojiro stood up, leaving from the comfort of the kotatsu, she said, "What's it feel like when someone loves you dad?"

Sojiro walked around over to his current daughter, passing through the one watching the memory, and when he got close, he said, "Well, I guess it would feel something like THIS!"

Sojiro suddenly grabbed his daughter, and lifted her up, spinning her around, and ending with a tight hug. After that he began tickling the preteen Otaku, as she collapsed to the floor laughing, begging him to stop, and he just kept tickling her laughing as well. Soon he stopped, but they both kept laughing for a few minutes, faces turning red, and tears streaming freely. After the laughter was done, they spent a few minutes just breathing heavily, and holding their ribs. It wasn't long though before that serious look came back over the past Konata's face.

This other Konata regarded her father very seriously this time, and said, "Do you think anyone will ever fall in love with me?"

Sojiro lay beside his daughter, and said with a smile, "I doubt there's anyone who wouldn't fall in love with you Konata. Even if they didn't though, don't worry, because I'll always love you."

Konata watched as her past self blushed, and then looked happily at her dad before hugging him. She said at the exact same time as her younger version, "Dad. You shouldn't ever say weird things like that."

Konata loved remembering this. Her dad always said he loved her, but rarely had they been as close as they had been in her junior high years, when he was the only person in the world who even seemed to like her, much less care about her. That had been all that had kept her going, was her dad saying he loved her every single day before she went to school. Every night before she went to bed, and a lot of the time he said he loved her just to say it. There was no way she could have let her pain at being alone back then hurt her dad, so she had kept on until she had found friends to love her.

The blue haired girl didn't want the memory to fade, but what she wanted seemed to have little bearing on what actually happened here, and soon it melted away, and she was left in a darkness that somehow seemed heavier than before, and Kona began trudging on in a direction that could only be discerned as deeper. With every step the darkness seemed more menacing, and heavier. The blue haired girl found herself panting as she walked from the strain of continuing forward against so much weight pushing her down.

The voices were now a whisper far away, and Kona couldn't decipher what they were saying at all. She just trudged on endlessly, hoping she would find her Kagamin soon so that they could both escape this place. She just hoped she would be strong enough for them to make it back once she had found her lost love.

In the distance, Kona could hear thunder coming from the same direction she was heading towards. Coming from the deepest part of her prison the booms sounded without any sort of rhythm at all. For some reason hearing that thunder made her think of metal, but pondering on that wasn't helping the older twin she had come to love, and so Konata pressed on until she found herself suddenly falling.

It was hard for her to tell she was falling since everything seemed the same as before, but it was definitely a different sensation from floating in the darkness. Konata was now rapidly falling in the direction she had been going until she saw a new light. It was a bit surreal watching the light slowly approach as the wind whipped her hair upwards, and she had no idea how fast she was moving. All the little Otaku knew was that she was getting closer, she could feel it.

The sound of rain was all around her. Still Konata could only watch the light slowly growing, the thunder growing louder. Soon the white enveloped her, and Konata was forced to close her eyes from its brilliance. A few moments later, Kona hit something very hard, and once again everything was black.

Black.

That's what Kagami saw as she awakened. It actually took an effort for her to open her eyes, and her head was pounding. Every muscle in her body felt cramped, and she could only suppose she had been lying in bed for a very long time. As she looked to her right, Kagami saw Matsuri sitting in a chair watching her. The brown haired girl took notice of Kagami, and smiled broadly, saying, "You're finally awake huh?"

Kagami groaned, which caused another painful throb in her head, and said, "How long have I been out?"

Matsuri answered, "Well, since you passed out in the hospital, you've slept an entire day. You were in the hospital for two days while your fever was going down, so if you're wanting to know how long since you left the Izumi place, today would be the fourth day."

Kagami felt her chest tighten. Four days, she couldn't really have left four days ago could she? She had left her Kona all alone to hurt for four days. She needed to go see her, and tell Konata that she loved her. Kagami made a move to get out of bed, but was quickly stopped by Matsuri. Kagami was more than a little annoyed by this, and said, "What are you doing? I need to go see Konata."

Matsuri easily pushed her little sister back into bed, which made Kagami realize how weak she was. Matsuri didn't struggle to handle her at all. The older sibling said, "Yeah. I know you want to go over there, but you're hardly strong enough to get out of bed, you're not going anywhere. You'll just pass out and get sick again, the doctor said you needed to rest for at least two days before we let you even think about leaving the house."

Kagami immediately considered posing the argument that she may as well have already rested for twice that, but she could see Matsuri wasn't going to budge on the topic, and Kagami doubted her chances of forcing Matsuri to let her go. It seemed the lavender haired girl would have to wait a whole day before she could go see Konata. Still, there was the phone, maybe she would want to talk. Kagami could only hope Kona wasn't too mad to speak with her.

Kagami asked her older sister, "Hey, can you bring me my phone, so I can at least call her?"

Matsuri looked grim, and Kagami had a bad feeling. It was rare she saw her older sister looking so serious, and she felt her heart sink as Matsuri said, "Listen Sis. Konata's...well...she's sick. I don't know if she's awake, and it probably isn't good to disturb her."

Matsuri was holding back intentionally, she didn't want to tell Kagami how serious Kona's condition was since she didn't want to her younger sister to get all worked up, and trying something stupid to hurt herself all over again. She cringed inwardly when she saw the worried look on Kagami's face as her younger sister asked, "She's sick. Is it really bad? She got sick from looking for me in the rain didn't she?"

Kagami felt really guilty. Now on top of leaving Kona, she had made her sick as well. With the way things were going, she wouldn't be surprised in Konata had passed the cold level, and gone straight to the flu or something. The older twin was brought out of her thoughts by Matsuri's grip on her hand, and Kagami quickly found herself in a tight hug.

Her defenses were ripped through by this hug. Kagami could feel her tears coming, but couldn't stop them as she hugged her big sister, and cried, "I'm so sorry Matsuri. I left her, and I hurt her. I was just so scared that I wouldn't have any of you any more. I was stupid."

Kagami was interrupted by her older sister putting a finger to Kagami's lips, silencing the younger girl. Then Matsuri said, "Hey. That's all in the past okay? You know we'd never leave you now though, so just don't ever forget it, and we won't have any problems. You just concentrate on getting stronger again okay? We'll go see her soon."

That sentence was punctuated by a drawn out rumble from Kagami's stomach, and Matsuri laughed at her younger sister, causing Kagami to grunt at her in an annoyed manner. The older sibling, asked, "Hey, how about we go downstairs, and we'll get you something to eat alright?"

Kagami just nodded as she raised herself from her bed. She wobbled a little as she walked behind Matsuri towards the door to her room, and realized just how weak she was when she had to actively maintain her balance. Kagami stopped for a moment after Matsuri left, and stretched, trying to work some of the cramps out, hoping that would relieve some of the incessant pounding in her skull.

The lavender haired girl did feel better after stretching, but she also felt more hungry, and so she headed downstairs to join Matsuri in the kitchen. The younger girl looked out the window in the kitchen to see bright light coming in. it was probably around three in the evening as there was a little orange tint to the sky at this point, which meant Tsukasa would be getting out of school. Kagami couldn't help but worry about her little sister, and hoped she was doing alright on her own.

It wasn't long at all before Matsuri brought Kagami a bowl of freshly made ramen, and Kagami was very thankful as she slurped a little bit of it down, enjoying the feel of the hot juice running down her throat before starting on the noodles. With some food in her, Kagami felt much better, and she wondered if she might not be able to go see Konata after all.

Kagami glanced towards the front door to see Matsuri standing between it and her with a knowing look though, and Kagami decided against it. Maybe Matsuri was right, it might be better to let Konata and herself rest a day before she went over there. Even as she thought it, the lavender haired Tsundere took that thought back, she would absolutely have loved to return the favor, and take care of Kona while she was sick.

Kagami thought about how much she just wanted to hold Konata, and say she loved her over and over, just like Kona had done for her. Kagami wanted her little Otaku to experience the joy she herself had felt when she had received Konata's love confession. Still Kagami was worried. There was a good chance Konata wouldn't want to be near her.

Kagami didn't know what she would do if Konata wouldn't at least be willing to go back to being friends. Life without Konata just wasn't something Kagami wanted to even consider at that point since her lips started quivering every time the thought crossed her mind. She knew she had messed up badly, and was hoping desperately that she could still fix it.

After Kagami had eaten another bowl of ramen, she decided to go back up to her room until Tsukasa got back, and she could try to pry out some more of how mad Konata was at her. The lavender haired girl noticed her big sister watching her walk up the stairs, and she seemed a little worried, like Kagami might suddenly trip, and fall back down them, but Kagami made it to the top, and went back to her room.

The Tsundere's headache had disappeared with the two bowls of ramen, and Kagami was very thankful for that. She sighed as she sat on her bed, and rested her chin in both hands as she slumped forward, thinking about the best way to tell Kona how she felt. She considered walking straight in and kissing Konata, just like she had always wanted from the guys she had used to hope would admit feelings for her, but that seemed to forward, especially when Konata was probably hurting so bad.

Next she thought about bringing her roses, but after checking her purse, and seeing how much money she had, that was definitely out of the question. Roses were expensive, still if she had had the money, that was probably what she would have decided on. Many other thoughts passed through her mind, but she could always think of something that would ruin the gesture, or she was afraid she might come on too strong, and hurt Konata even more.

Following this frustrating train of thought completely distracted Kagami from what was going on, and she started when someone knocked on her bedroom door. Kagami for the first time patted down her bed hair as best she could, as she called out, "Who is it?"

The response on the other end of her bedroom door lifted Kagami's spirit greatly, as it responded, "Um...Onee-chan? May I come in?"

Kagami called back, "You know you don't have to ask to come in here Tsukasa. I should have known it was you since you're the only one who knocks anyways."

As soon as Tsukasa closed the door behind her, she quickly moved to Kagami, and squeezed her tightly. Kagami could feel herself getting all emotional again, but when Tsukasa was around, it was much easier for her to stay strong. Her adorable little sister always made her feel better, and Kagami was really glad to have her so close.

After a few moments, Tsukasa said to her, "I'm really happy for you Onee-chan."

Kagami was confused by this even though she really felt as if she should understand what Tsukasa was saying. Still, she replied, "What are you talking about Tsukasa? Why are you so happy?"

Kagami's heart skipped a beat as Tsukasa said, "Kona-chan really loves you a whole lot."

Just one sentence, and most of Kagami's fear disappeared completely. Tsukasa had made her feel so much better that Kagami could feel the tension draining out of her. She said, "Hey Tsukasa. Does she really still love me? I know I hurt her, and I..."

Kagami trailed off as a lump made its way back into her throat, but Tsukasa cleared it away easily by stroking her older sister's hair, and saying, "You should have seen how happy she looked when I told her I'd bring you back to her. I have to tell you something though. She's...she's really sick."

Kagami felt that worry creeping its way back into her now. She hoped Konata didn't have pneumonia or anything, the guilt would drive Kagami crazy. She managed to ask Tsukasa, "Is it really bad?"

Tsukasa's serious face told Kagami everything she really needed to know, but Tsukasa explained anyways, saying, "She isn't eating or sleeping much at all. She's all pale, and she was so weak she could barely sit up by herself. It really hurt to see her like that sis."

Kagami didn't understand what her younger sister was saying. Those symptoms weren't normal from a cold Konata would get from being out in the weather. Kagami had a very bad feeling, and she wanted to talk to Kona right then, so she went to her purse, and started searching frantically for her cell phone, when she couldn't find it, she was nearly panicked. Kagami hadn't dedicated the Izumi residence number to memory, without her cell phone there was no way to talk to Kona.

Kagami felt herself being led back to her bed, and noticed Tsukasa was holding her, and telling her everything would be okay. Kagami was nearly out of her mind with worry until Tsukasa hugged her as tightly as she could, and said, "Don't worry sis. I know we're going to make her better. She's waiting for you."

Kagami was calmed a lot, but in her mind, she couldn't help but feel something was very very wrong, and she needed to get to Konata as fast as she could. The older twin told her sister, "I need to go see her now, okay. I just need you to say something to Matsuri so I can get outside."

Kagami couldn't believe it when Tsukasa said bluntly, "No."

The Tsundere felt helpless. Always her little sister supported her. What could she do if even Tsukasa wouldn't help her with something? Kagami really needed her little sister to be there for her, and had never really noticed how much she needed Tsukasa's approval. Now it was evident though, as she felt helpless, and asked her younger sister, "Why? Why won't you let me go see her?"

Tsukasa stated firmly, "Look at yourself. You can hardly think straight, you need more rest. If you go over there like this you're not going to be able to help Kona-chan at all. Please sis. Just go back to bed. I promise I'll take you to see her. I promised her I would bring you. Just please don't hurt yourself anymore."

Kagami answered back, "So what if I hurt myself? It's me who's getting hurt, so it doesn't matter if I get hurt as long as she feels better."

Tsukasa met her older sister's eyes, and said clearly, "I don't want to see anyone else hurting. It's not just you and Kona-chan. All of us. When one of our friends hurt, we all hurt because of it. Can you really hurt yourself knowing you're hurting me, and Yuki-chan, and all the others? Don't you know how bad it hurts to see someone you love hurting, and knowing there's nothing you can do for them? Please. Please just rest sis. We all love you, and we all love Kona-chan, and tomorrow I promise we'll all go over there, and everyone can finally stop hurting, okay?"

Tsukasa seemed on the verge on tears, and Kagami could feel a couple of her own leaking out. She could tell her sister had changed, it was still the same loving Tsukasa as ever, but her love just seemed more mature now. Kagami thought about it, what she said made sense. It appealed to her logical side, it appealed to a lot of her feelings. Kagami didn't want to hurt Tsukasa or any of her friends, but there was still a rather large part of her that wanted to rush over and see Kona.

Kagami sighed, and lay back against her bed, mumbling, "Alright. I'll rest, but I don't care what anyone says, I'm going over there tomorrow no matter what."

Tsukasa nodded, and said, "That's fine Onee-chan. You just rest for right now, okay? No matter what, we'll go see her tomorrow."

Kagami felt her warm bed sucking her in, it was more firm than Konata's bed, but it had its own appeal in its familiarity. Kagami hadn't realized exactly how tired she had been. Her eyes were already growing heavy again as Tsukasa stroked her hair. Tsukasa smiled down at her twin sister, and said, "I'm really glad you and Kona-chan love each other so much sis. I hope she'll be just like a new sister."

Kagami thought about that, and smiled back at her little sister. She would love to have Konata come over as part of the family. It would be like a dream come true. As her grip on reality faded into the land of dreams, Kagami promised that she would make her Kona feel better. She was no longer worried about whether or not Konata still loved her, every bit of her just wanted her little Otaku to be okay.

Tsukasa watched her older sister until she was sure Kagami was asleep. Then she sighed with relief, and stood up. Tsukasa hadn't even bothered to drop her schoolbag before coming up here after Matsuri had informed the younger twin Kagami was awake. It seemed Kagami was recovering quickly as well. That was a huge relief on the younger girl. Tsukasa walked over to Kagami's study desk, and opened her schoolbag, reaching inside, and grabbing a stack of papers.

Tsukasa left the papers on the desk, and slowly retreated from her big sister's room, turning out the light, and thinking, "Hopefully that homework will keep her busy at least until I get off of school tomorrow."

For the rest of the day, and even the rest of the night, Kagami didn't stir at all. Unknown to her though, one of her family members would check in on her every few minutes, often sitting next to her bed in case she woke up, and needed something. If there was one thing their household was lacking that day, it surely wasn't love.

* * *

Author's Note: Well it seems the story is moving forwards again. I hope everyone enjoyed the couple of chapters going in-depth on the other characters. I know I really enjoyed writing them, but I thought it was time to focus on Konata and Kagami again. I really hope this chapter doesn't seem lazy. I felt like it was flowing way too easily as I typed it, so I'm kind of worried that it seems like something I just threw together. Sure I hadn't planned the chapter out ahead of time, but as I type I put a lot of thought into what each character does and says.

I still feel like I'm not very good at explaining feelings, but that's why I put a lot of extra effort into them, so hopefully you guys can really connect with the characters. Honestly in retrospect I think in my first few chapters when everything was light and fluffy, subconsciously I may have known where this story was going, and made those chapters to bring everyone in really close to the characters as I wanted to write them. Once the readers were very close to them, and rooting for them all the way, the tribulations started. If you have a deep connection with a character though, then it's a much more personal experience seeing them suffering, or even seeing them happy. It's less like just reading about some accident in the newspaper, and more like something is happening with people you actually know and care about.

I know I myself felt a connection like that while writing, which gives me a lot of really intense feelings while typing out each chapter because the characters mean a whole lot to me.

Anyways, thanks for reading my story, and reviewing for me. The advice offered has helped loads, and I am steadily getting better. Hopefully I can continue getting better, and produce better and better results, so don't hold back on the critiques, I know full well that most times the one who critiques the hardest does so because they care the most.

On a side note, this story now has over 10,000 hits which makes me very happy indeed. I never expected that much traffic when I started this or as many reviews as I've gotten. Once again I'm really appreciative, and please keep it up guys!


	19. Love and Shadow!

Chapter 19 Love and Shadow!

Kagamin was lonely.

That was what Konata thought as she opened her eyes, and looked up at the dark sky. She shouldn't have to be lonely. Why was such an amazing person always lonely? Kona couldn't possibly answer that, but she knew she could fix it. She wouldn't let Kagami think she was all alone any more. This little Otaku wouldn't let her love be afraid any more,

Konata struggled to her feet, she was a little dizzy, but not hurt by the impact, and as she looked around through the rain she saw street lights glowing. The rain was pounding very hard against her raincoat, and Konata was chilled as the wind whistled harshly as a gust threatened to remove the hood. It was very dark though, and the little blue haired girl could hardly see anything that wasn't in the illumination of the street lights.

She shivered as she looked around slowly, noticing there were no lights on in the buildings around her, and only a few street lights seemed to be lit. Konata was worried about that. This place seemed much different from the prison she had grown accustomed to. A strong voice inside of herself was screaming for her to just lay back down and close her eyes. It was dark, cold, and she was wet. She didn't know where Kagami was. It would be so much easier to just go back to sleep.

A part of Konata wanted to do just that. The pain she had desperately sought to escape was present in this place, and it made her want to cry out, but Kona knew that she couldn't leave Kagami all alone in a dark place like this. She also knew if she went to sleep in this place, she would never see her friends again, and so Konata started walking.

She tried to pretend she didn't see strange shapes moving in the shadows around her as the little Otaku set out to find some sort of direction. Still Konata decided it would be better not to call too much attention to herself in this place, and as she walked on, she would stop when the motions seemed to be getting closer, until the shapes moved on without noticing her.

The blue haired girl had been moving silently through the darkness for a short time, when the world seemed to rock as she heard a massive crash of the metallic thunder in the distance. Konata heard strange noises as the shapes in the shadow started moving randomly, apparently confused, and hunting for the source of the noise.

Konata decided it might be best to not stand in the middle of the street as more and more of the shapes started moving and crossing around her. They didn't pay her any mind, but Konata decided she wasn't going to take any risks, and retreated into a small alleyway between two houses where she couldn't determine any movement.

The blue haired girl stopped just inside the narrow space, and realized she was panting as she looked out to the things in the dark. She was terrified of them. Her hands were shaking as she thought about going back out there, and so far she hadn't even been brave enough to step into the street lights since she didn't want to do anything to give these shadows the impression that she wasn't one of them.

All of the instincts gathered from playing video games over the years told her stealth would be her ally in this environment, and she wasn't about to go against her sometimes psychic seeming gamer's instinct, so Konata pressed on through the small space determined to go unnoticed as she searched for wherever Kagami might be.

Kona made it through the narrow pass without incident, and managed to go a couple streets down, trying to head towards where the sound of the thunder was coming from. It sounded again, and was accompanied by a heavy gust of wind, pointing out to Konata that she needed to change her direction slightly.

As she reasoned it out, this strange thunder was the only thing different in this monotonous suburbia she was moving through, and therefore it was her only lead on Kagami. Despite each blast sending the shadows around her squirming, and sometimes wailing, and even in spite of the the fear that grew with every step she took towards whatever was causing this metal grating thunder, Konata knew, for everyone waiting on her, she had to keep going.

Kona mentally slapped herself as she accidentally kicked a glass bottle as she walked, sending it noisily clanging down the sidewalk, and shattering against a low garden wall. They were now aware of her, Konata could tell just in how the couple shadows around her were moving. They didn't know she had made the noise, but they knew something that wasn't one of them was nearby. She backed into another small space between two houses in order to avoid coming into contact with one of these things that came to check where it had heard the noise, and almost had a heart attack when the back of her leg pressed against something small and squirming behind her.

Konata heard a growl like a dog, and she sprinted as hard as she could, spinning around the shadows in front of her to avoid the one she could almost feel chasing her now. Caution was thrown to the wind, as it became apparent that this small shadow chasing her was more agile than the larger ones lumbering around in the streets, and it kept pace with her.

The blue haired girl could feel panic creeping into her mind, there was no way she could turn and fight this thing with her bare hands. She didn't know if she could fight it with a machine gun, or if these shadows could even be fought. It had stayed close to her as she ran for four blocks, but Konata could hear it slowly falling further behind.

As it chased it made a clicking noise like a pencil being tapped against a school desk. When the noise sounded a good distance behind her, Konata chanced a look behind her, hoping it had given up its pursuit. She dashed across the street in front of her, confident she was finally outrunning it, and then cried out loudly as she tripped on the step up to the sidewalk on the other end of the street, and she rolled to a stop up against a recycling bin sitting in the middle of the small alley she had been going to run through.

The clicking noise quickly closed the distance to her, and Konata found herself scrambling, her mind screaming for help as the fear set in that she might not make it out of this place. Her scramble was useless as she wasn't moving fast, and couldn't focus her balance well enough to get up, and run, she could now feel this thing breathing on her. Then it bit down on the back of her neck.

Konata froze, and pain welled in her, but not from the teeth sinking into her, those actually seemed to pass through, but as it attacked her, she could feel a painful memory flooding through her mind.

Everything went white for a moment. Konata was still struggling forward with all her might, but she could feel her grip on this place slipping.

_Soft_

That was what Kagami thought, before she awakened to find herself gripping nothing. Sure it had only been two nights, but she felt empty already when she woke up remembering how nice it had been to hold Konata close to her while she slept. Waking up in this manner was a bitter reminder of what she had left behind.

Today it would be fixed though. Even if Konata decided not to love her because of how she had been hurt, Kagami would have her little blue haired angel back. She wouldn't leave Konata ever again. Kagami rolled over to glance at her clock, and see it was a little after noon. The day was warm and beautiful outside despite the fact that winter was supposed to be setting in.

The lavender haired tsundere struggled out of bed feeling much stronger than she had the day before. She wasn't wobbling or struggling to maintain her balance even though the older twin felt very tired. It wouldn't be too hard for her to go back to sleep, but Kagami wouldn't lay around, knowing Konata was hurting.

Kagami headed towards the bathroom to brush her hair, which was tangled from nearly a week of not being maintained. It felt nice to have her hair tied back up the way she was used to having it. Then she brushed her teeth, and headed back to her room to get dressed, fully intending to go straight over to Konata's house.

She put on a pair of jeans, and a white button up shirt which had little strawberries decorating the cuffs of the sleeves, and neck. Then she headed downstairs to find her mother waiting in the kitchen. Kagami stopped in front of the front door, as her mother eyed her, and said, "Kagami. Where do you think you're going?"

The lavender haired girl felt a little afraid now that her mother was eying her so intensely, but she said, "I need to go see Konata mom."

Kagami's mother rose from the kitchen table, and walked towards Kagami, hugging her daughter, and saying, "Don't worry baby. I'll take you over there soon."

Kagami didn't know what to say. She felt very nice being held by her mother, but she hadn't expected her mother to not oppose her completely. Still, all Kagami could bring herself to ask was, "How soon, mom?"

Miki told her daughter, "We'll be meeting Tsukasa over there after she gets off of school. Just be patient until then, you even have a stack of homework you can do to pass the time."

Kagami didn't appreciate being stopped, but she really doubted her odds of getting away from her mother, so she sighed, and headed back upstairs to not touch the homework. There was no way she could focus on studying when she knew Konata was really sick, and needing someone to comfort her.

Kagami was sure the three hours she had left to wait would seem like an eternity.

_Konata was sitting in her desk in her second year of junior high, trying to pay attention to the mathematics displayed on the board, and copying down the steps to solve each problem as the teacher spoke. It wasn't long though before her interest in the brand new manga she had bought on her way to school overwhelmed her interest in math, and she slowly reached down to her bag, and pulled it out, hiding it from the teacher in her textbook._

_Being in the back of the class, the action had gone unnoticed by the teacher, and it wasn't long before she was immersed in a world where jets turned into giant robots, and fought invaders from another planet with more missiles than they could reasonably be carrying. Soon Konata noticed the girl beside her peeking in her direction, trying to see what manga Konata was reading. _

_The blue haired girl recognized her as a member of the school's dance team, she was really pretty and popular, and everyone always talked about what a great person she was. The girl whispered to Konata, "Hey, would you mind if I borrowed that? I don't think I could make it through world history without a distraction. You can get it back when when we go eat lunch later."_

_Konata was really happy, no one even bothered to talk to her once they had found out how weird she was, but now she had a shot at making a friend. Konata was determined not to screw it up, and even though she really wanted to know what was going to happen next, she passed the manga over to the girl, and said, "Be careful. You get hooked on this one really fast. If you get too wrapped up, the teacher will notice because you won't be glancing at the board."_

_Just then a piece of chalk hit Konata's head, as the teacher shouted, "Izumi! Pay attention!"_

_Konata purposely overreacted, and dove out of her seat, rolling on the floor, and everyone began laughing. Konata didn't mind though, these were the only times when people actually watched her, and it felt nice to be recognized as a person. She returned to her seat after receiving a glare from her teacher, and quietly went back to taking some notes._

_It seemed like an eternity before lunch came around, and Konata headed over to where she usually saw the other girl eating lunch with the other dance team members. She couldn't help but imagine how great it would be if making friends with this one girl would let her be friends with everyone else. As Konata approached them, the entire group of six girls looked up to her, and Konata could almost cry with relief. They actually all looked happy to see her. They were smiling and waving her over._

_Konata came to the table they were sitting around, and before she could join them, the girl she had lent the manga to stood up, and faced Kona in front of all the others, and handed the manga back. Konata could instantly see something was wrong, as a black streak of permanent marker was drawn across the shiny new cover. _

_She opened the manga to see on every page things had been scribbled in marker, words like, ugly, nerd, freak. Tears flowed down her face, as the other girls began laughing at her. She didn't see what was funny, it hurt really bad. She began to run, and felt terrible after another girl shouted, "She didn't even throw it away, it's not like she can read it now!"_

_Another huge burst of laughter reached Kona's ears before she was out of their sights._

That was when her hand grasped around something hard. Konata didn't care what it was, she gripped it, and turned, swinging as hard as she could towards this thing. She was rewarded with the noise of a sharp whine as it jumped back from her. Konata took the time it used to jump back and regain her footing, holding the metallic object she had picked up like it was a wall between herself, and this living shadow.

The object she had picked up was about a meter long, and so she gripped it with both hands, intending a much stronger swing the next time it came close. After a few moments of considering her though, the shadow growled once more, and retreated back from her, apparently rethinking the wisdom in attacking a prey that could actually hurt it.

Konata sighed in relief as she saw it retreat, and sagged back against the wall behind her. She was still smarting from that memory, it hadn't been like feeling it again, that wouldn't have hurt at all. She had long since moved on from that, but it had been like she was living through it the first time all over again. Her cheeks were even burning from the embarrassment of having been so stupid. She should have known no one who was actually pretty or popular would ever have liked her.

Konata was still panting from her dash, and decided it would probably be best to rest here before moving on, but at least she had something that gave her a tiny bit of security now. It was a piece of metal with a curve at the top that seemed really familiar to Kona, although she couldn't quite place why.

While examining her new weapon, Konata remembered saying, "Yeah, this is definitely the one, they're still scared. Thanks a lot Kagami."

Konata whispered, "Kagamin. Did you leave this for me? I bet you dropped it while you were looking for me, huh?"

This was the lead she had been looking for. Konata couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling that she was on the right track. Maybe soon the little Otaku could find the girl she was looking for, and then see about getting out of this place. Despite the happiness of feeling one step closer to Kagami though, a small wave of depression hit Kona as she thought, "I wonder if Kanata had to come here too. She didn't make it out though."

The reality of the situation had hit Kona then. The piece of metal in her hand was the only thing standing between her, and being stuck in that dark prison again. Konata knew though, if she went back there, it would be a one way trip, and the little blue haired girl trembled at the thought of of being stuck there forever, all by herself. The trembling didn't last long though. Kona knew full well, if she was stuck all alone in that place again, Kagami would be stuck in this hell forever, all alone. The risk was worth it if she could save Kagami from being alone.

Thinking of Kagami again caused the pain inside her to flare up, but Kona didn't back down from it this time. She was going to have to feel it sooner or later, and the Otaku had a feeling that this was just the tip of the iceberg. The pain receded after a few moments, leaving tears streaming down Konata's face as she said out loud, for the moment not caring if another shadow took notice, "I know you'd never do anything to hurt someone on purpose Kagami."

After a few moments of silence except for the rain, and another blast of the strange thunder, Konata said, "I love you."

The sentence brought her strength back, and Konata stood again. There wasn't much time left, she couldn't hold up all alone here, she needed Kagami, but more than that, she needed to save Kagami. Her love shouldn't ever have had to come to a place like this. Konata took a couple steps before feeling another tremble work its way through her as another blast of thunder seemed to shake the earth itself.

Konata closed her eyes as the trembling passed through her, and when she opened them, she found herself in a different place than when she had closed them. The Otaku was now standing in front of her house. It was still dark, and raining, and the shadows were still moving around her, but Konata could recognize the darkened shell of her own home.

The thunder sounded again, much closer than before, and Konata actually had to take a step back from the force the rumbling hit her with. Konata had the urge to run into her home, and lay in her bed, to just hide from everything again, but the thought was useless. When she tried to open the front door, the knob would hardly turn. It was locked. Still Kona had hope as she fetched her key from her jeans under the raincoat, and inserted it into the lock.

Konata turned the key, and was rewarded with a clicking noise as the key broke in the slot, dashing any chance she had of going home to see her mom, and dad. She really wanted them close right then. Even if her mom nagged her about doing schoolwork or staying up too late playing games, it was nice to know she actually cared. Kona felt suddenly warm all over as she remembered her mother hugging her not too long in the past.

The urge to give up and cry vanished as Konata turned, knowing she had to meet up with Kagami. Another image flashed in her mind, this time of Kagami's big blue eyes, only inches away from her face. The little Otaku could feel heat spreading through her cheeks as she remembered the closeness to Kagami, but what got her attention was a scream in the distance, a scream of, "WHERE AM I!"

The direction had been easily discernible. Konata had confirmation that she wasn't alone here, and she jogged out of her yard, heading towards the scream, wondering if its source would be okay. With that much noise, the shadows were sure to be swarming around wherever that scream had come from, but Konata didn't care. She might have actually found someone.

She dodged around a couple of the shadows, confident the bigger ones wouldn't be able to catch her, and she avoided the smaller, faster ones in order to avoid a repeat of what had happened before. She tried her best not to arouse any attention to herself, and was moderately successful, as she only had to flee from two shadows before she found herself standing in front of a building she recognized very well.

There were stairs leading down into it, and the outside seemed broken down, and decrepit. At the bottom of the stairs though, there was bright light. Konata noticed there were none of the moving shadows around this place. As she took a step towards the stairs, that thunder rumbled again, and she found herself, sliding backwards a little from the force of it. The source of the strange metallic thunder was definitely down there.

The blue haired girl steadied her nerves, and stopped herself from shaking, and then proceeded into this building she had always loved. This was the building that had always brought Kagami to her before, and now she hoped desperately that it would bring her again. Kona walked down the stairs into the brightly lit area, and went through the turnstiles in front of her with no resistance. She entered this place thinking,

_I'm coming Konata._

That's what Kagami thought as she finally sat down in the passenger side of her father's car. Her mother sat in driver side seat, and Matsuri had just gotten home, and decided to join them on their outing. The drive to Konata's house went on in near silence until Matsuri reached up to grip Kagami's trembling hand.

The older sister said aloud, "Everything will be okay. You'll see."

Kagami wasn't so sure about that. She was excited to be finally seeing Kona, but every inch they traveled seemed to tie a wire tighter and tighter around Kagami's stomach as she thought of Kona being sick, and possibly even rejecting her. Hating her. Kagami didn't think she would be able to take that, she might just break down.

Her guilt was tearing at her for hurting such a beautiful person so badly. Even if Konata didn't hate her, Kagami doubted she would be received with open arms, and it seemed ludicrous to hope that Konata would try to tell her it was all a bad dream again.

Kagami decided, no matter what, she was just going to go in there, and offer her love to Konata. Even if it was rejected, even if it wasn't returned, the least she could do for her love was to finally be honest. Kagami was going to take care of her little Otaku, and make her better if it was the last thing she ever did.

Never again would this tsundere hide how she felt about a certain blue haired girl she had come to love. That was the promise she made to herself. She would stay by Kona forever, no matter what came of the next hour or two. Kagami would always love Konata, and would tell her every single day, so that she never hurt someone so important again.

She was jolted out of her thoughts as the car came to a stop, and Matsuri unbuckled her seat belt to get out. Kagami removed her own safety belt, and joined her older sister on the pavement. The Izumi household looked ominous, like somehow all the negative energy that had been concentrated there was spilling out for anyone who happened by to feel.

The lavender haired girl swallowed hard, and wondered if her little sister was already inside. She really hoped so. Kagami knew she was going to need some support before all this was over with. The Tsundere felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she leaned against Matsuri, soaking in the comfort the older girl could give, before she finally pulled free.

Once she let go of her older sister, Kagami began walking down the little path she had walked a thousand times before, and approached the front door of the Izumi household. She knocked, and it was really odd not to hear the familiar, "KAAAGAAAMIIIIN!", as her little love ran down the stairs to greet her.

The elder twin was surprised to see Nanako open the door, and look happy to see Kagami. The blonde woman said, "It's about time you got here. We were getting worried you wouldn't make it before the doctor."

Kagami let that statement sink in, thinking all sorts of horrible possibilities as she asked the teacher, "Doctor?"

Nanako sighed, and said, "Yeah, she's started to act differently from how she's been the past couple days, so we called her doctor to see what we need to do. He was on his way a half hour ago."

Kagami could feel that knot in her stomach winding tighter, and slapped herself mentally for actually considering it might give her ulcers. It was time to focus on Kona. Every bit of her was now dedicated to the task of loving her little friend. Kagami crossed the threshold of the Izumi house, and proceed up the stairs to find all of her friends waiting there.

Misao looked like she was going to explode from how obvious she was holding herself back from shouting her joy at seeing Kagami, and Kagami stopped to hug her brown haired friend as she approached Kona's room. Patty, Ayano, and Hiyori all nodded to her, and Kagami felt a little relief flow into her from all of her friends being there.

When the lavender haired girl entered the room, the first thing she could think was how much more cramped than usual it seemed. Sojiro was sitting on the floor looking at her intently, which creeped her out more than a little. Minami and Yutaka were holding hands just inside the entrance looking worriedly over towards Konata's bed. Tsukasa had gotten up as Kagami entered the room, and Miyuki wasn't far behind her as they both came over, and hugged the older twin, offering their support.

Kagami felt sick inside. The pressure and tension in the air made her want to just faint. It seemed like everyone was expecting her to just come in, and magically help Konata. Kagami herself wasn't even sure Konata actually even wanted her to be there despite what Tsukasa said about Kona still loving her.

That was when Kagami saw her Konata for the first time since leaving her five days earlier. She was gripping her sheets tightly, while panting. Her eyes were slightly open, and she was very pale. Kagami could easily make out the veins sticking out in Konata's little hands, and she wanted to weep at how small and fragile the blue haired girl seemed.

Kagami slowly walked over to her love, whispering, "Is this what I did to you?"

She hurt bad, too bad to even cry at what she had done to the person who was supposed to be her best friend. Kagami climbed into Konata's bed, and lay down next to her, hugging her tightly, noticing how cold she felt, and saying, "I'm sorry Kona. Please come back to me."

She rocked Kona, and stroked her hair, but nothing she could do would make her lovely Otaku respond. Kagami hadn't been expecting anything like this. She had been prepared to be loved, to be hated, to be rejected no matter how much it hurt, but this wasn't even Konata. This was just a shell that was hiding the girl she loved deep inside. She was too afraid to come out because of how badly she had been hurt, and Kagami knew who was responsible for that pain.

Kagami looked into her little Otaku's eyes, and finally she managed to drop a couple tears on the smaller girl. She thought over and over and over in her mind, too hurt by this vision to speak.

_I love you._

Konata looked around, and could see the train tracks, the benches, the whole platform, but it was empty. Konata could feel warmth spreading through her as well as despair. She walked over to a certain bench, and laid down on it. Kagami wasn't here.

Konata screamed as loud as she could in frustration. This was wrong, this was all wrong. She could feel Kagami all around her. It was warm, and safe, and Konata could swear her tsundere's arms were wrapped around her. It should have been enough. She had arrived at the place she had set out for, and she still hadn't reclaimed her love.

The strength drained rapidly out of Kona as she gave into despair, she was weakening, her prison was tugging at her again, and Konata could feel all of her consciousness, and feeling fading. It wouldn't be long at all before she was back floating in the darkness forever. Kona struggled with the little strength she had left, but her vision slowly went black again.

The dark eternal dream that was her prison was calling, and she felt herself moving away from this deepest part of herself, back towards where she had started. It wasn't fair, she had tried so hard, she had fought with everything she had, but it hadn't been enough. Konata just couldn't do it by herself.

"NO!", the small girl screamed in her mind.

The last of Konata's strength raged inside of her as she fought the force tugging her back into her purgatory. She swore as long as she had even a little of herself left, she would not give up. She would fight until she was completely erased from existence if she had to.

The blue haired girl could feel herself approaching the deep part of her mind again as she refused to give in. She could feel the cool air of that place, she could feel the hardness of the bench again, and she could feel a soft and familiar warmth supporting her head. Kona let her tears flow into this comforting figure, and knew her fight wasn't over yet.

This person on the bench with her, was stroking her hair softly, giving her energy back, waking her from the nightmare of darkness she had almost been pulled back into. Kona was almost there, she could feel it in every part of her, if she could only have enough strength to go a little further.

For those moments though, Konata didn't fight, she didn't need to. She just let herself be wrapped up in the warmth of this comforting angel. She just lost herself in the softness and security. Everything went blurry in her vision, and she lost focus on everything around her. Once again she felt like she was falling.

* * *

Author's Note: I have to admit to the fun I had writing this chapter. It was a great experience for me, and I really hope you guys enjoyed it as well. It seems I finally broke into the 100,000 words range on this story, which is definitely something I didn't plan on doing when I started, but I've enjoyed every second of writing this story, so I'm not complaining.

Thank you for staying up to this point once again, and I really appreciate the advice I've been given, so keep it coming. No matter how insignificant the advice may seem to you, go ahead and post it, because it may be a detail that I never thought of, and hasn't been mentioned to me. I really want this to be as great as it can possibly be, and that can only be achieved through hard work, and strong critique.

I noticed upon rereading the chapter that my transitions felt odd, so I reworked them, and they're a little better than before, but I still think I'll explain, just to clear up any confusion that may be there.

When I end one character's perspective, I italicize a line in the perspective of the next character to have focus in order to show that we've transitioned POV. The first transition from Konata to Kagami uses the word soft, which is what Kagami thinks as she wakes up, feeling like she should be holding Konata.

In the second transition, I end with a short sentence in Kagami's perspective, and then launch into the memory that was drug out by the shadow's attack on Konata.

The third shift is done with a broken sentence, it was done intentionally. The line, _I'm coming Konata._ Of course, is from Kagami's perspective, but when I pick it back up at ,_ I love you._ As the final transition back to Konata I meant it as what finished the broken sentence left earlier, in order to show we were picking back up with her, exactly where we left off. Sorry if that's still confusing, but I think that's the best I can explain it.

Thank you everyone! Please keep reading, and tell me how you think I can make the story better.


	20. War and Pain!

Chapter 20 War and Pain!

Konata's vision cleared to reveal a familiar scene. She felt weak all over, and couldn't help but try and bury her face deeper into the form comforting her. She just wanted to stay there, and let it comfort her, and take care of her. If she could do that then everything would be okay, and she wouldn't have to hurt so badly anymore.

Konata could see from her place on this figure's lap that she was in a park now. She was still on a bench, and it was still dark except for immediately around her. The rain didn't fall in this place. The little Otaku was finally safe. She could hardly hear anything with the wind roaring around her. She still felt like she was falling, her stomach was light, and felt like it was being lifted into her throat.

It was nice. Kona loved every second of it. The soft warm hand stroking her hair let her know she wasn't all alone. Even with the pain continuing unabated this place was heaven compared to where she had fallen asleep. Konata tried to turn and look at the face of the one comforting her, but the figure was too bright to look at, and she couldn't discern any characteristics.

Still, there was no mistaking the love welling up inside of herself. She was close to Kagamin. Kona knew it with all her heart. If she could stay strong for just a little bit longer, her love would be back in her arms. A voice echoed all around this place, saying, "I'm sorry."

Just then, two raindrops landed on Konata's face. They were warm. She was confused as to why only two fell instead of the rain resuming like it was outside the light of this figure holding her. They made the little Otaku sad for some reason. Those two raindrops, she felt like they shouldn't ever have had to fall.

Konata asked the voice, "Why?"

She wasn't expecting a response, and she felt a little disappointed because of that. Even so, the voice spoke again shortly, not originating from a discernible direction. It said, "Come back to me."

Konata felt a little less warm as she heard this. Come back to who? Who could she have possibly left behind in a place like this? Was this one of those shadows calling her back? Kona didn't want to go back to face one of them at all, she'd much rather just stay here on the bench being taken care of. How could she leave something so safe, and warm to go back to even more pain than she was feeling right now? How could something ask that of her?

"Please.", the voice said.

Konata felt anger, how could this voice demand such unreasonable things, it didn't even know her or care about her, unlike this figure keeping her safe on the bench. She shouted back into the night, "Why should I! I don't even know you! All I want is my Kagamin, so we can be happy forever! You just want me to hurt more don't you!"

There was silence for a while, and a few more raindrops fell, and landed on Konata's face again. The blue haired girl worried as the light around her shrank a little. Letting the pouring rain outside this space inch its way a little closer. The figure never stopped stroking her hair, and holding her comfortably, soothingly, and securely.

Kona relaxed a little from the figure's soothing actions, but it wasn't long before the relief was shattered. That voice came back, from everywhere, with a pang of sorrow in it that made its small recipient just want to break down. It said, "You're strong."

There was a pause of a few seconds in which Konata realized she was now holding her breath. Then the voice resumed, "Stronger than me. Stronger than I could ever be."

The anger returned to the little Otaku, and she raised her head from the comforting form's lap, and stood up in front of the bench, shouting to the sky, "Stop being so sad! What do you have to be sad about? Do you even know how badly I'm hurting!"

Konata could now feel more raindrops hitting her, and the light shrank back a little more. The warm raindrops mixed in with her tears of anger, and Kona couldn't help but wonder why this voice tortured her so much. It wasn't like it was a voice she recognized. This was the same voice as the girl who had drawn on her manga. The same voice of the friends in junior high who had never called her. It was the same voice as the mother who hadn't taken care of her, and left her all alone.

Even so, as much as this voice hurt her to hear, she couldn't help but hear the sadness, and think, not for the first time in her life, "Even if it hurts me. I can still make it feel better. That's something even I can do."

Kona sat back down on the bench, the strength found in her anger fading quickly, and the soft warm figure pulled her back in to try and comfort her. Konata said aloud, "Everybody loves you. No matter what you do, and no matter how aggravating you can be sometimes, we all still love you. We don't ever want to see you hurting, so stop being so sad okay?"

It hurt to be playing this role again, but Konata found much happiness from it, just as she always did. To make people happy, it was her dream. Since she hurt so badly from being all alone, she didn't ever want anybody else to have to hurt, so she always comforted people. She always told jokes, and made faces so that no one would ever have to feel as bad as she did. Even when people were mean and rude to her, she tried to help them if they needed it.

Then it had all paid off. She had found her friends who cared about her. Konata had even fallen in love with someone. That had been more than worth the loneliness she had felt before. The feeling of acceptance, and the feeling she got when her friends loved her made her strong enough to face any sort of pain, or so she had thought.

The blue haired girl had never considered how much more it hurt when someone who was actually close to you rejected you. It was a thousand times worse than some stranger insulting you. The stranger just seemed laughable in comparison. It made you feel like you were being ripped apart on the inside, but there wasn't any medicine that could make you feel better. Kona had had to run, it was the only way she could deal with that sort of pain.

Now that pain was back, and there was nowhere Konata could hide from it anymore. She was terrified. Never had any hurt run this deep before. Kona honestly didn't even know if she could survive it. Every time the voice spoke the light in her world shrunk, her comforting angel became less warm. The rain inched a bit closer than before. It wouldn't be long until she was in the dark again, lost without even her love anymore.

"You probably hate me.", said the voice, suddenly louder, and once again the rain moved closer.

"NO!" shouted the little blue haired girl with all her might. She couldn't ever do that. She called back, "Hating is for people who want to hurt each other. I don't want to hurt you! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The warmth suddenly went out of the figure holding Kona, and she didn't need to look back to know it was gone. It's arms were no longer wrapped around her, making her feel safe, and now the light was fading steadily. Konata stretched her right arm out, touching the rain that was getting closer and closer to this last safe spot.

The little blue haired girl lay back down on the bench. Ready to leave this place, and this voice. The light was almost gone, and the feeling of falling was getting more intense. She said quietly, "One more time. Just a little bit longer."

On the outside she appeared calm, like she was just laying down for a nap. On the inside she was scared, and nervous. A choice needed to be made. She could accept this darkness, and stop hurting forever. She could continue on through, and hurt worse than she was right now, and possibly end up back in the darkness anyways.

Kona closed her eyes, and felt the rain begin pouring down on her. Before the roaring noise took over all of her senses, the voice spoke once more. Konata was sure it spoke more than what she heard, but she understood the most important part. She smiled as she repeated what she heard over and over in her mind.

_Love._

Kagami looked at her love, and felt horrible that all she could do was apologize. It seemed stupid that she could only do something so small for Konata, but the older twin didn't know what else she could possibly do. Everyone was watching her really intensely, hoping without reason that she could do something they couldn't.

She said again to Konata, "I'm sorry Kona. I never imagined you would be hurting this bad. Please just come back to me okay?"

Kagami was trying desperately to hold back the tears. She hated crying when other people could see it, but a few still managed to slip out. Still Kona didn't respond. She didn't smile, laugh, or tease Kagami about her weight. She knew if Konata could even utter a quiet, "Tsundere.", she would probably cry out in relief.

Konata didn't respond at all though. Kagami hugged her close, and stroked her hair, and told her everything would be okay because she would never leave Konata again. She uttered once more quietly, "Please."

The older twin felt a hand on her shoulder then. It squeezed comfortingly, and Kagami looked back to see Tsukasa. Her little sister was smiling at her, and hugged her suddenly. Kagami felt much better being held by her little sister. It was nearly as comfortable as when Konata had held her when she was scared.

Kagami was definitely scared now. Konata was completely ignorant of the world. Shaking her did nothing, talking did nothing. Hugging her, and comforting her didn't illicit any response at all. Kona just lay there, breathing quickly, but not so fast she seemed to be hyperventilating. Kagami couldn't help but remember how cold Konata had felt. The smaller girl was usually very warm, and Kagami enjoyed their contact, but the state of her little blue haired Otaku just seemed wrong.

Kagami whispered to her little sister, "Why won't she say anything. You said you talked to her. Did she get worse?"

Tsukasa looked over her little friend, and answered her big sister, "I don't know Onee-chan. All I know is that she's fighting with everything she has. I know she's doing it for you."

The older twin looked back to Konata, and moved in closely again, saying aloud, "Konata. You're strong. You're stronger than me. You're stronger than I could ever be. If you had left me, I wouldn't have been able to go on. I wouldn't be fighting. I would have just given up. I would spend my whole life denying what happened, or making up some reason to hate you so I could move on. I could never fight like you are. Please don't leave me Kona."

Still there was no response, and Kagami gripped Konata's hands, entwining their fingers. A small and quickly cut off squealing noise issued from Hiyori, who was standing just inside the door. Everyone but Kagami looked at the artist of the group questioningly, and she quickly blushed and covered her mouth. Their attention was brought back to Konata's bed as Kagami asked without facing them, "Hey. Do you all mind if I have a couple minutes alone with her?"

She looked back at the group gathered with obviously repressed tears as she spoke. Kagami knew it was a selfish request. They all loved Kona too, but she wanted a few minutes alone with her little Otaku. She was still embarrassed to let these other people see her cry or speak openly about her feelings. The only ones she was ever honest with on the same level as Konata were Tsukasa and Miyuki, but Kagami didn't want them in there to see her hurting.

Tsukasa looked her older sister in the eyes for a moment questioningly before she nodded, and turned to leave the room. She was the first to go, setting the example that there was no point in being selfish right then. After all, they had all had their time with her, now it was Kagami's turn.

Matsuri was right behind Tsukasa, and then Miyuki, the last one left in the room with Kagami was Sojiro. He stood from his place on the floor, and said before he left, "You know. She thinks the world of you. All she ever talks about is how much fun she has with you. I never imagined her actually wanting to go to school, but after she met you, I never had to fight her even once to get her out the door. Maybe out of bed, but once she was up, she was off to see you. Take care of her, alright?"

Sojiro closed the door as he left, and Kagami winced as she heard the latch click into place confirming he wasn't being his usual creeper self, and listening through a crack in the door. That was when her tears came unabated. She squeezed Kona tightly, and cried, dripping more and more tears on Konata's face. She managed to whine after a few minutes, "You probably hate me, huh? I don't blame you. I did something bad to you, and still I can only talk about what I want from you. I know it's selfish, but I don't have anyone else. Can't you understand Kona? I don't know why everyone still wants to be around me. I never tell anyone how I really feel, and I get mad when people press it. Still, with you, I won't do that anymore, okay? I just want you to know that I..."

Kagami trailed off as the words caught in her throat. She was two words away from giving up on almost the entire life she had planned out for herself. Sure, she could still go to law school. She would never be whisked away by some really handsome guy though. He wouldn't father her children, and she wouldn't ever watch them grow up, and have great lives of their own.

She shed a couple more tears, and then said, "I love you too Konata. More than anyone in the world."

Kagami felt happy as she finally told Konata how she felt. It was true. She loved Konata more than anything else. Kona was always the one who made sure she wasn't feeling lonely. The blue haired girl maybe drove Kagami crazy with all her antics, but that just made their tender moments all the better. For a while she had felt awkward when she was close to Konata, and got embarrassed over little things that shouldn't have bothered her.

Kagami had never even worried about whether she might be too heavy or not before Konata had made it obvious she was watching the lavender haired girl. Ever since she had become best friends with Konata just a few weeks earlier, the blue haired girl hadn't exited her thoughts for more than a few minutes. Now that she knew how she was feeling, Kagami didn't understand why she hadn't learned until it was too late.

The Tsundere's family loved her no matter what. Her parents had told her that since she was a small child. It seemed dumb to Kagami that she had ever considered they might leave her over finding someone who could make her happy. All the fear and pain hadn't been necessary. Even when Konata had first asked, "Kagami...You don't love me do you?"

Even then, Kagami had just wanted to hold Konata, and tell her what she had said only moments before. Now there was a very real chance that Konata wasn't coming back to her. Kagami's heart felt like it would burst when she thought it was possible that no one would ever call her, "Kagamin," again. She felt even worse when she considered if Konata never came back, it would be Kagami's own fault. She would have killed her best friend, and her lover. The lavender haired girl held her love. Trying to be happy just being close to her, until there was a knock on Konata's door.

An old man walked in with Sojiro and Nanako trailing behind him after Kagami had said it was alright for him to enter. The first thing he did was separate Kagami from Konata. Once apart, Kagami wasn't strong enough to stand, so she just sat on the floor while Sojiro gave her a knowing look. The white haired man checked Konata's reflexes, and respiration, and turned to Sojiro, saying, "She's worsening much faster than I predicted. At this rate she'll become unresponsive in a few days. The lack of sleep is causing the condition to worsen much more quickly, haven't you been giving her the medicine I prescribed for sleep?"

Nanako responded, "Of course we have, and the medicine that helps her appetite. They've hardly helped at all."

The doctor nodded at the blonde woman and sighed, saying, "I see. If she's resisting the medication, then it would seem we have no choice but to hospitalize her. There are machines there that could extend her time by months, maybe even a year."

"No.", said Kagami quietly. The three adults turned to look at her, and she tearfully said, "She's still fighting. She hasn't given up yet."

Kuroi looked as if she were about to break down as well. She had only just come to realize that she would be Konata's mother. To already have her baby taken from her was an unbearable thought. Nanako looked at Sojiro pleadingly, as if he could do something to help Konata. The blue haired man sadly looked his daughter over, and said, "Not again. What good will it do to put her on the machines if she's already..."

He couldn't finish. The words in his mind had been, "As good as dead," but there was no way he could speak them aloud.

The doctor responded, "Mr. Izumi. If we can extend her life by hospitalization, I'm legally bound to do so at least until a time where she can't survive without life supporting machines., I have to implore you to give-"

"I SAID SHE'S STILL FIGHTING!", screamed Kagami, startling the adults in the room, and most likely everyone downstairs as well. Kagami stood up now, and said, "How can you just give up on her? I can tell from the way she's breathing that she's giving it everything she has. Konata isn't unresponsive, she's just busy doing whatever it is she needs to do to come back to us! We all just need to support her, if we all give up, and leave her all alone, she'll never come back."

Silence. Kagami felt like just resuming her place on the floor, she was getting tired again since she still hadn't fully recovered from being sick. The lavender haired Tsundere stood her ground though, and looked angrily into the eyes of the people who _said_ they cared about Kona. She told them, "You're all about to make the same mistake I made. You're scared, and so you're going to give up on your love for her, and go running back to whoever else you have. Don't you see how badly I've hurt her? Can you imagine what it would do to her if all of you left her too? I know she loves all of us more than we could ever even imagine loving someone else. There's no way we can just abandon hope, right? Can't we all just stay with her for a little longer?"

Kagami had her eyes shut, trying to stop herself from screaming in rage and pain. She wanted to throw a tantrum, and just destroy everything around her at how angry and helpless she felt. When Kagami had been sick and hurting, Konata had made her better just by being there, and Kagami couldn't help but think about how she couldn't do anything at all when the situation was reversed.

Kagami felt warm as a hard body she was unfamiliar with embraced her. Sojiro had hugged Kagami tightly, saying, "Thank you Kagami."

The Tsundere was too stunned to reply, of all the people likely to hug her in a warm heartfelt way, she hadn't expected Konata's father to be among them. She quickly focused on his tension to see if maybe his hand was creeping around to her backside, but he was just genuinely hugging her. He squeezed tightly, and said, "I'm really glad she has someone like you."

Kagami was touched. The entire time she had been here, even when Sojiro had been telling her how much Konata liked her. Kagami had gotten the feeling that he was, well, angry. Who could blame him since she had hurt the most important person in the world to him. Now Kagami could see it though. He wasn't worried about their relationship, or casting blame, he was hurting as much as she was. He just wanted Konata to come back, and love him again.

Sojiro turned away from Kagami, their embrace finished, and he said to the doctor, "I think we'll wait just a little while longer before we move her. Let's just have faith in her."

The white haired man immediately said, "Mr. Izumi, I must insist-"

Sojiro cut him off, saying firmly, "Just a little while longer. You and I both know the hospital can't help her. Maybe all of us can though."

The doctor sighed, and said, "I suppose. It couldn't hurt her any more to stay here for a few hours, but if her condition worsens, I'll have her moved by way of the police if necessary."

During this conversation, Kagami had made her way back over to Konata, and crawled into bed with her. This time slipping under the blanket, and wrapping her arms around Konata's waist as she pulled her lover in close. Kuroi watched the scene with a tinge of happiness, and sadness. She had only just gained a daughter, and she planned to be there for the rest of Konata's life as she never brought herself to consider that Konata wouldn't make it.

That realization that she could be a mother, and have someone to love and look after made her heart swell with pride and joy, and yet the sadness settled in. It seemed it wouldn't be too terribly long before Kagami was taking Konata away from her. Once again Nanako was happy that Konata could be happy, and sad she had missed out on so much personal time they could have had together. Still she moved in close, and let her arms wrap around both girls, as she said, "Don't give up. Come back to us Konata."

It was only a few minutes later that everyone downstairs once again came up to Kona's room. There was tension, fear, love, and anger in the air, but they all waited patiently. As for Kagami, she held Konata close the entire time. She closed her eyes, and prayed with all her might that Kona would be okay. That she wouldn't lose someone she loved more than anything. She also prayed that if Konata couldn't come back, that she would die right beside her.

Before the last prayer, Kagami squeezed Kona's hand, and kissed her cheek. Then she let the blackness settle in as she closed her eyes to be alone with her thoughts. Kagami just kept thinking desperately,

_Come back._

Konata opened her eyes to hear the roaring all around her. It was echoing off the walls of the station, and all Kona could see was a squirming black wall that stopped literally inches from her face. She gasped in fear as she realized this was one of the shadow creatures. The little Otaku was terrified for a moment that it was about to attack her when suddenly it seemed to just slide away, following the train tracks, and taking its deafening roar with it.

Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest, it had almost been over right then. Konata knew even a little touch from that thing would be enough to end all of her efforts. For now though it was gone even though its noise could still be heard going into the distance. It had been too tall to see, and wider than the train tracks since its bulk had come almost to Konata's bench. Even then though, Kona could feel that it was growing.

She shakily got up from the bench, and took a few moments to recover herself. The pain was still with her, but she had made her decision. She had foregone the safety of the darkness for this pain, and she wouldn't back down from what she had to do. Kagami was still waiting for her, maybe even looking for her, and she was close. So close that Konata could feel her presence in the air around her. Rather than letting it hurt her like before though, she pulled strength from it.

The blue haired girl reached down beside the bench, and picked up the pipe Kagami had left for her. Once it was in her grasp, she gave it a couple practice swings since she figured it wouldn't hurt to know the best way to swing it in a fight. Then she observed her surroundings. Kona was still in the brightly lit train station. The turnstiles were to her right, and a wall was to her left. Across the tracks though, where there should have been a wall, there was a large door.

The door was big and red, and on the same level as the tracks. Konata thought it looked like the entrance to a boss room in one of her dungeon crawler games. Konata forced herself to smile in spite of her pain and loneliness, and said, "Onward to adventure, I guess."

Kona took two steps towards the door, wondering how long it would take the big shadow on the train tracks to make a full circle, and come back to here, when she heard a deafening crash like two pieces of metal hitting at hundreds of miles an hour and dragging across each other. The wind from whatever had caused the noise was immediate, coming through the doorway it hit her, and she slid back almost a foot as she leaned in against it, trying not to be toppled over by it.

Vibrations moved through Konata's body forcing her to tremble, and causing her to reconsider the door for a few moments. Saying she was scared of what was on the other side was more than an understatement. Her stomach was knotted up again, and her palms were all sweaty, making the pipe slippery. The blue haired girl doubted if the pipe would even help her against what was on the other side. She couldn't back down at this point though, and Konata crossed the tracks, and lifted a large handle on the door. Once the handle was raised out of its latch, she pushed as hard as she could, and the door swung inwards easily.

Disorientation happened quickly as everything turned white, and she began falling again. The white lasted for only seconds before Konata found herself standing in front of the same door, but on the other side, now the door was closed. She slowly turned around, taking in that the room was lit by no visible source. It seemed to be a bare room made of smooth, tan stone of some sort, but that wasn't what was interesting about the room. Neither was the sheer size of the room, as Konata could hardly see the distant walls, and ceiling far above her.

What was interesting about this room was the fact that Konata was looking at two copies of herself. They looked tired, very tired. They were both panting heavily, hair all tangled and greasy like they hadn't bathed in days. Both of them had bruises all over them, and their school winter uniforms were torn in places. They held their own pipes downward at an angle as they panted, and glared at each other.

They were facing each other, apparently unaware of the Konata that had entered. Of course, maybe they just didn't care. Kona herself didn't know what to think or what she could possibly say. She seemed out of place in her hot pink raincoat, and she had a feeling that both of them were much stronger than she was. The little Otaku was about to clear or throat, or tap her pipe on the ground to get their attention when one of her copies screamed, "You hate her!"

The one on Konata's left who had screamed charged towards the other one, now readying her pipe for a swing. The second copy of Kona on the right, readied a defensive stance, and shouted back, "We hate what she's done to us! Not her! We can't let her hurt the people we care about though! Listen to reason!"

The first Konata swung her pipe as hard as she could towards the second, and there was an enormous ringing noise that made Konata's head swim. She was suddenly pressed up against the door she had entered through as the wind from the clash hit her. It was hard to breathe against that wind, but it disappeared after a few moments, and Kona stumbled forward.

The little Otaku knew these two. She wondered why she hadn't recognized them on sight. One of the voices seemed desperate, and lonely. The other both rational and angry. Of the two, Konata didn't know which of them frightened her the most, but from their states it was obvious this battle couldn't be fought much longer. Both were beaten and panting, and Kona wondered how they hadn't already collapsed from the multiple bruises adorning their bodies.

The rational copy suddenly pushed, sending the other more desperate one sliding back to where she had started her charge. They glared at each other again, but the one who was pushed back wavered, and collapsed onto her knees. She cried loudly, not bothering to try and hide her tears. She wasn't ashamed of them at all. Then she shouted

_**Why don't you want us to be happy? We don't need to hurt, we can just love her with everything! We won't have to feel anything else!**_

The one who was still standing lowered her pipe, and began very slowly walking towards the fallen opponent. She didn't seem to be in a rush to finish off her fallen side. She stopped after a few steps, and this angry Konata replied calmly,

**Can you even call that living? To pick an emotion, and let it dominate you with no thoughts? To stay with someone no matter how much they hurt you because you're afraid noone else will ever want to be close to you? I love her too, but she left us, she rejected us, and she hurt us, just like everyone else we ever let get close to us. I don't want to leave her either, but we could never be truly happy loving someone in that way.**

The Kona on the floor looked up to the other as she slowly began approaching again. This Konata on the ground said quietly, but still audible anywhere in the room for some reason,

_**You're afraid. I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid that she'll stop hurting us. Afraid that she might actually want to be with us, because you're afraid you'll disappear. You're scared that you won't be here anymore, and we'll forget you. Mostly you're scared that one day you'll have to come back here after having left for so long. You'll have to come back to the dark, and fight just to exist.**_

**SHUT UP!**

The standing Konata was trembling now. It was obvious the weaker voice had said something to anger her beyond her rational side. It screamed back at its crying counterpart,

**What do you know about this place! You've been here for a few days, you didn't even exist a week ago! I have been here for years, and years. Every time we try to get close to someone, and we get happier, they just leave us, and we have to go even deeper to deal with it! That's the only way to survive here. The ONLY way to exist. We will never leave this place or else we'll die! There's no way we could handle everything outside this place, no one can handle that sort of pain.**

Kona at the the door began walking towards the two now. She could see where this fight was going, and it was wrong. Her legs felt like lead, and she could hardly walk, but she focused, and started taking one step at a time. Soon she was running to where her counterparts were in the center of the room, praying she would make it in time.

Now the incarnation of Konata's pain was standing above her love. It was almost over. Love screamed out once more,

_**Can't you see we're dying anyways? You're tearing us apart, and we can't handle it! If you keep doing this we'll disappear anyways, but it'll be forever, no happiness in our whole lives! Is that what you want? To kill us?**_

Pain shed a single tear, and said,

**No. We're not going to die. The two of us are ripping each other apart. So the solution is simple. You will die, and then we can keep living. Don't think you're the first one to come here besides me. I killed the others too, all so we can keep going. I want us to be happy, but I know it'll never happen, so I choose to feel pain, so that noone else has to feel it. Be thankful you don't have to stay here and suffer. Goodbye, this is the end for you.**

Pain lifted her pipe above her head, gripping it tightly with both hands. She brought it down as hard as she could against the strongest opponent she had ever faced. Love raised her pipe, blocking the strike, and trying to hold the force back by bracing one end of the pipe against her forearm. The ringing was more horrendous than any strike previous, and all the force of it was crushing Love into the ground.

Even as love blocked the strike, and focused on surviving the force of the blow traveling through her, she could feel the ground giving way beneath her. She could feel herself fading, and then the force was gone. She had survived the strike, but even so, Love knew that she was too weak to survive another. She was really going to die here.

She looked pleadingly into Pain's eyes, afraid of what would come next, and was surprised to see tears flowing down her opponent's face. She honestly believed that trying to be close with people would kill them. She believed loving someone with all their heart would make them disappear, and hurt even more than Pain herself could bear.

So she hunted down those other feelings mercilessly when they started hurting too badly, she would accept a little more pain each time, justifying her existence in pain by saying that she felt it for her friends, and the ones who would always be close to her, but she couldn't see that her pain was hurting them too. Eventually a little pain here, and a little pain there, held onto so the same mistakes wouldn't be made again would build up. It would overwhelm her eventually. Even someone as strong as Pain couldn't hold up forever.

Pain looked down at her fallen opponent. She no longer looked like Pain, she was just a small girl curled up in the hole made by the force of their clash. Pain said quietly,

**I used to be like you. I thought there was a way out of here. After years of searching though, you realize. Some people were made to be happy, and some are made to make others happy. We fall into the second group. We can never be happy and still be our self. So we glean the happiness we can from the people who deserve it, and that has to be enough.**

Pain raised her pipe once again, and closed her eyes, prepared to bring it down crushing her opposition once and for all. After a few moments of pause, she brought her pipe down, with a completely crushing force, and was rewarded with a scream of pain and the wind rushing around her.

It was over.

Pain opened her eyes upon a very unexpected sight. In front of her, shielding the body of Love, Konata was on her hands and knees with tears dripping down her face. Love was still safe because of the body used to shield it. Pain was filed with anger. Once again the idiot she was interfered, only seeking to hurt herself worse, believing she could really be happy.

A weakened voice moaned from under Konata,

_**Kagamin?**_

"No.", said Konata, "I'm not quite that awesome."

Pain said,

**You. Why are you here?**

Konata imagined this was what it felt like to get hit by a train. Her body was still trembling from the blow, she felt numb all over, but for some reason there didn't seem to be any physical damage to her body, just lots and lots of hurt. She shakily got to her feet, and stood between Pain and Love saying, "I came here to save her."

Pain felt anger surge through her again, surely she couldn't be hearing what she thought she was hearing. Could that worthless Otaku really have chosen Love over everyone else? Pain had thought Konata actually cared about everyone. Her anger couldn't be controlled, she struck Konata in the stomach with her pipe, lifting her slightly into the air, and continued to beat her for a few swings, not letting the blue haired girl drop, before swinging hard again, and slamming Konata into the ground. Pain angrily screamed at her,

**You idiot! Don't you realize what you're doing! You're giving up on everything, and everyone just for her! Can't you see how happy you should be just to have so many people who don't want you hurting? You don't even have to hurt, I'll hurt for you, I'll even enjoy the pain if it makes them happy.**

Pain was exploding through Kona's body now. That beating hadn't felt good at all, and her vision had some black specs in it. Still, she had expected this to hurt when she started, and she knew that it got much much worse than what Pain could do to her. Kona hadn't even cried out during the second beating.

Slowly Konata raised herself back onto her feet, wondering how much more she could possibly take before she broke. She let her pipe drop to the ground, her copy was obviously much faster and stronger. That pipe didn't make a bit of difference since Konata wouldn't be winning any physical sort of fight here. As she dropped it though, she felt much of her previous security drain out of her. The pipe was a gift from Kagami's heart, she had gotten soaked, and scared, and done everything she could to give it back to Konata.

It faded from existence as Konata looked at it lying on the ground. Now she was all alone. It was probably better this way. She needed to do this alone anyways, and couldn't afford to use someone else's strength as a crutch. Konata said, "You forgot what makes Kagamin different. She's the first person. The first one who needed someone to love her too. We promised when we were little. If we ever met someone like that boy from the mecha show who was hurting and scared, and needed someone to love them. We promised that we would never let them be all alone. I'm not giving up on anything. We can be happy too. You're just scared."

Pain's face seemed frozen in an expression of anger, and she was readying her pipe, seeming like another charge was imminent. She said to Konata,

**I'M NOT AFRAID! Every day I face the shadows, every day I walk in this darkness. I do it because you're too afraid to face it yourself.**

Konata began walking towards Pain, and she could see her counterpart growing more tense with every step. It was obvious she was hurting just as badly as Konata. Maybe she was hurting even more. She was afraid. Afraid that she could be wrong, and all her time spent here would be for nothing. Afraid that even pain could be scared.

Konata told her, "I'm not choosing Kagamin over everyone."

The bruised schoolgirl looked Konata over, and asked,

**Why then? Why do you still protect her? Loving her hurts us. Us hurting hurts our friends and our family. It's wrong to still love her then, right? If we hurt somebody they'll leave us. We can't be all alone again. I can't, I mean WE can't handle that sort of thing. I'm always alone in here, so we don't have to be alone on the outside. If we're all alone anyways, then we can't go on.**

Konata was now standing inches away from the part of her that hurt so badly. The part that always faced her pain, and decided to be happy in spite of it just because it knew it was making another part happy. Konata embraced herself, and immediately began crying. Touching this Pain racked her body with a horrible feeling. She felt like she was burning alive.

Just touching Pain was a terrible experience, but Konata held fast. Not letting go of the other blue haired girl. Konata whispered to her, "You don't really think they'd ever leave us do you?"

The tearful Pain quietly answered,

**She left us. It hurt us so bad. If she could leave us, then couldn't anyone else?**

Konata sighed even through her current pain, and explained as if to a child, just like when she had been trying to talk Kagami into doing something with her while it was raining, "Kagamin's different. Sometimes she does things that are really dumb. It's because she gets all girly and sensitive. She gets scared of stuff that doesn't even make sense. You remember when she threw that stupid pipe? I thought she was actually going to cry over it. Now I guess it isn't so stupid though, huh? Our little Tsundere has ways of making up for things. I bet when she comes back, she'll have something so nice ready it'll knock our socks off."

The pain suddenly became even more intense as Kona felt Pain's form hugging her back. Every second entwined with this part of herself was agony, but the blue haired Otaku managed to smile. She had almost stopped all the fighting.

**What if she leaves us again? I can't do it again. It hurts too bad.**

Konata responded, "She won't."

**How do you know?**

"I know.", said the blue haired girl. She was now hugging the small girl called Pain against her chest.

**I don't want to be by myself anymore.**

The voice speaking that line seemed very fragile. Nothing like how it had been before. Konata let go of Pain with one arm, and just held the little girl's hand as she walked over to where Love was still hiding in the hole caused by Pain's earlier blow. With each step Konata felt like she was being ripped apart a thousand times over. It was hard to think. The little Otaku knew she couldn't hold up much longer, and yet she knew, this wasn't even half of the hurt she had to feel.

Years of hiding how lonely, and scared, and hurt she was had to be made up for. Konata extended her hand to the tearful girl in the hole, and said, "Come on. We can't stay here anymore okay?"

As Love reached timidly out, and grasped Kona's hand, she felt warm inside. A reassuring feeling came over her that she could actually make it out of this place, even if it didn't alleviate the still growing pain. The two little girls were crying, they were obviously both as afraid as Konata was, but she wanted them to feel reassured so Kona lowered herself down to one knee, and pulled both of them in close for a hug.

They hugged her back, and smiled. The blue haired Otaku wasn't sure if they could feel what she was feeling, but Kona hoped they couldn't as the three of them began walking back towards the big red door she had entered through. They paused in front of the door for a while, all were afraid of what was waiting on the other side. Kona looked down at Love, and then at Pain, and then she addressed the hurting girl, saying, "Hey, I think I'm going to need your pipe. You're the only one who had enough sense to hold on to yours."

Pain offered it to Konata without saying anything, and since she didn't have any hands to hold it with at that moment, she motioned for Pain to just let her tuck it under her arm. With that done, Pain said,

**I'm scared.**

_**Are we really going to die?**_

Love seemed afraid of disappearing. Who could blame her, she was only a few days old, it was only natural that she wanted to live and grow. Pain just didn't want to be all alone in the dark anymore. She wanted someone to be with her, so she wouldn't have to bear everything alone. Konata didn't ever want them to be afraid again.

The blue haired girl promised herself as the two small girls opened the door in front of them, that she would protect them with everything she had. She had found her love, and she was about to face her pain. The world went white for a moment as Konata felt herself falling again. She could still feel the hands of the two girls she had saved, but couldn't see the girls themselves because of the white.

Then they were back in the station. The rain could be heard pouring outside in an enormous volume. Each drop sounded like a thunderclap, and streams of water were running down the stairs of the entrance, and across the floor pooling on the tracks making Konata wonder how long it would be before the whole world was flooded. Already as far as she could see was ankle deep water.

Konata let go of the hands of the little girls. They each tried to grab back onto her, but Kona shook them off. They had had to bear the strain of all her feelings for too long. It was now time for Konata to face it herself, and let them rest peacefully. It was only a few minutes without contact before both Pain and Love slumped to the ground. They looked very tired.

Pain shed a couple tears, and said,

**So I guess I'm going to disappear now? I wish I could have stayed with you two a little longer. I was finally happy. I'm really glad I finally got to feel like I'm a person too. Thank you so much.**

Love weakly got to her feet, ans stumbled over to her sister, embracing her, and saying,

_**Hehe. I'm glad we finally got to be together, like we're supposed to be. I'm pretty scared, but I'm happy too. Let's just stay together as long as we can okay?**_

Konata didn't bother trying to hide how much she was hurting now. It was obvious from the tired look on Pain's face that the girl was nearly gone. Love wouldn't last too much longer either. They couldn't be forced to stay in this place anymore. They had found the way out.

Konata held the pipe in her left hand, wondering if her stronger swing would come from her left or right side when she felt a tug on the back of her raincoat. The blue haired girl turned around to face the two girls to see them smiling now. Love was holding Pain up, and supporting her. Konata knelt down again, and hugged them one last time.

Pain sobbed loudly, and dropped to her knees, bringing her sister down with her. They made a loud splash in the water covering the train tracks, and she said,

**I wonder why? I don't even remember why I was born. I hurt from the moment I was conceived, and it's never stopped. Even now I'm hurting. I guess when our pain disappears, I'll die too right? I wanted to know what it was like to not hurt anymore. I wanted it to stop when you guys made me happy. I just wanted everyone to love me too. Just like they love you.**

Love was wobbling even down on her knees as her strength faded, and she looked up to Konata, and asked,

_**Where do we go when we're gone? Are we just gone? Is that it?**_

Konata turned away from the two girls, and was silent for a few moments. Then she said, "I always wondered about that too. Dad always told me that after you die, you get to go see everybody you love every single day. Your mom will wake you up every morning after that with a big hug, and she'll take you downstairs for pancakes. After your done with breakfast you get to go see all of your friends, and play all day long. Then when you come back, both of your parents tell you how much they love you, and they tuck you into bed after dinner. You don't even have to bathe and brush your teeth if you don't want to, which leaves more time for games and manga. After you go to sleep, you get to dream about the most perfect day that could ever exist, and then you get to wake up and live it."

Kona's words were punctuated by a tiny splash. Like a pebble being tossed into a deep pond. The two girls couldn't see Kona's tears. They could no longer see anything. Konata never looked back as she started walking down the tracks. She knew they were gone.

It wasn't long until she was running. Soon she was out of the small tunnel, and under the dark sky, the rain was pouring all around her, and the shadows were swarming everywhere. Everywhere except for where she ran. As Konata ran letting her pipe hang in her right hand, trailing behind her, they swarmed to move out of her way.

The shadows were terrified of her, and when one touched her because it couldn't move fast enough it simply vanished. Her pain flowed into them as she passed, and they were erased by it, not nearly strong enough to handle such a burden. She ran for a long time, never tiring, even though her hurting was still growing with every step until she spotted what she was after. It rose up like the night itself, encompassing her entire field of vision. It was speeding towards her along the tracks, just as fast as she was running.

Kona felt more than a little fear as she charged towards this hulking shadow, feeling almost overwhelmed by its incessant roaring. When they were only a couple feet apart, Konata swung the pipe as hard as she could at the beast. Charging on even as it passed through the pipe, and she was running through its center until the world went white again. All of her pain emerged then. Konata felt like her skin was being slowly peeled off. She screamed, and cried, and begged for help.

The pain was worse than anything she could have ever imagined, and Konata felt the whole world shattering around her as her blurry vision began to take kept screaming her lover's name in her mind for strength, and then she shouted loudly with all her might,

_Kagamin!_

The little blue haired girl being held suddenly screamed. A harsh, rough scream that hurt the ears of everyone in the room. It was filled with pain and sadness, and it nearly broke Kagami's heart into a thousand tiny pieces to hear it issuing from the one she loved.

Kagami was rocking Konata. The blue haired girl's breath had suddenly started coming in quick rasps, and everyone looked worried. Kagami could feel tears leaking out as she saw Konata's face contort into an obvious expression of pain. Her little Otaku was hurting. She was thrashing about, and moaning loudly in agony. Kagami wrapped her arms around Kona's arms, and held her still, kissing her forehead, and saying over and over, "It'll be alright Kona. Keep fighting it. Come back to us."

Sojiro was standing over her looking worriedly at his daughter. Nanako was right beside him gripping Sojiro's forearm tightly, and looking if possible more worried that the girl's father. She had tears streaming down her face.

Kagami could feel Konata struggling very strongly despite how weak Tsukasa said she had been. Kagami could barely hold the smaller girl's arms in place. Tsukasa was there in a moment, grabbing one of Kona's hands from her sister, ans stroking it, joining Kagami in saying everything would be okay. Miyuki placed a comforting hand on Kagami's back, and began rubbing the older twin's shoulders to try and relax her. Tsukasa was looking very pale as she helped her big sister try to calm Konata.

They all stayed that way for a few minutes before the white haired man in the back of the room said, "We should send for an ambulance. We need to get her to the hospital now."

Kagami responded with fury, "You stay away from her! No one is taking Kona from me right now! She needs me now! She's still fighting as hard as she can, can't you see it?"

Now tears were streaming down Konata's face. Kagami kissed the little blue haired girl's cheek and forehead over and over again, trying to calm her down, while everyone watched, awed by the suddenly ferocious thrashing of the little Otaku. Kagami was aware of hands on her now, she was aware of being hysterical as they tried to pull her away from the girl she loved. It couldn't be real, was all the older twin could think. They couldn't really be taking Kona away from her. She held tightly onto the mattress with one arm, while she wrapped the other around Kona's waist, holding onto whatever she could on the other side of the smaller girl, and resisting the arms that were trying to pull her.

Kagami knew if she left the little blue haired angel she called Konata, that her fight would have been for nothing. All Kona's pain would be wasted, so she struggled. Shouting over and over again even as she felt Konata suddenly go limp in her arms, and she was slowly starting to be pulled away,

_FIGHT!_

_Kona was saddened that her love was sad. She was hurting because her love was hurting. She no longer even cared about the heartbreak Kagami had caused her, as long as she could just have that beautiful tsundere close to her. She had even been crying tears of joy because she had finally told Kagamin how she really, really felt, and hadn't held anything back. Next she was going to cook a delicious breakfast to let her Kagamin know she was loved._

_She wasn't ever going to let her best friend feel lonely again. She dextrously flipped a pancake, and sighed as another tear fell into it, but Kona just thought to herself, "Oh well, that's just a little more love in Kagamin's breakfast."_

_Kona became completely lost listening to the sound of the skillet, waiting for the pitch change in the sizzling that she recognized as the perfect time to flip the pancake, and make sure it was golden brown on both sides. She just knew her lovely Kagamin was going to enjoy this breakfast._

_It was wrong. Konata looked around her kitchen, and thought even through her unbearable pain, "She's going to leave. I have to stop her."_

_Konata didn't bother turning the stove off as she moved the skillet off the burner, and weakly ambled towards the stairs. Kagami would have to come down them to leave. Her pain made it hard to move, and already her vision was going hazy. Every step was the new hardest step she had ever taken in her life, and she realized that Kagami wasn't coming down the stairs. _

_Konata turned away from the stairs leading up to her room and saw Kagami open the front door. She cried out, but Kagami didn't hear her. She was hurting so badly now that the little blue haired girl couldn't think at all. She put aside her fear, and focused everything on action, every action she could manage. Konata took one step, and then another, each one getting faster despite the pain growing constantly. _

_Her fear was growing, and her vision was almost completely black. All Konata could see was a bit of lavender hair, and she used the last of her strength to reach out for it as everything finally went black._

_Konata felt her weak grip close on something, and became aware of noise around her._

Kagami felt a weak pinch on her shirt, and immediately stopped screaming at the people trying to pull her off of Kona. They had been trying to get Kagami off of her so they could get Konata to the hospital before she was hurt even worse, but now they were all silent as they saw a small pale hand pinching Kagami's shirt with two fingers.

The Tsundere couldn't believe it. Konata had finally reacted to her. Tsukasa was crying openly, she looked like she was going to pass out from the commotion in which she had been unsure what to do. Matsuri, and Nanako released their grip on Kagami, feeling very ashamed at having been caught up in their emotion, and making the situation worse.

As soon as she was released, the older twin slid in close to Konata again. Konata said in a hoarse whisper, "Kagamin. Hold me."

Kagami happily obliged, and pulled her Kona in close, and held her tightly. She had no idea what she should say or do now that Konata was awake. The tsundere didn't even know if Konata was really awake, or if her Otaku was just responding to her surroundings like Tsukasa had mentioned to her.

Kagami then felt Konata's arms work themselves weakly around her back, and stomach, as she hugged the bigger girl. Kona whispered, "Hold me Kagamin, and don't let me go okay? I need you to be close to me right now."

The blue haired girl buried her face in Kagami's chest, and Kagami could feel her shirt quickly growing wet as her little angel trembled in her arms. Kagami kissed the top of her love's head, and said, "Kona? Aren't you mad at me? Don't you hate me for what I did?"

Konata answered back, "Yeah. I'm mad, and I'm hurting. Later though. Later on I'll cry and I'll scream and I'll yell. I'll never say I hate you though Kagami. I love you. I love you so, so much. Please just stay with me, okay?"

Kona was obviously very weak. Maybe even weaker than Tsukasa had said. Kagami held her Kona though. The little blue haired girl had only taken minutes of crying to pass out again, but Kagami could tell she was sleeping normally. For the first time since Kagami had woken up in her bed the day before, she felt the first bit of relief.

Kagami didn't care that everyone had heard Konata say she loved her. She didn't care that just moments before she had been ready to die if Konata didn't want to be with her. She hugged her Otaku sweetly, and finally let her building weakness overcome her. They passed out in each other's arms, Konata clutching Kagami like her life depended on it, while Kagami cradled Kona loosely, and lovingly with a big smile on her face. She passed out knowing that she would never feel empty again when she awoke.

There wasn't a single person in the room who could bring themselves to move the two lovers.

* * *

Author's note: This one took a quite a while to type out due to a million unneeded interruptions. I enjoyed every second of the actual work though. Sorry for dumping such a long chapter on you guys, I always try to keep a chapter under a certain amount of words so you don't have to go in with like an entire hour set aside for reading. I just really really didn't want to break this chapter into two pieces though. If I HAD broken it, I would have done it at the line, "It was over." where Pain had apparently struck down love, but still, I planned this chapter to be the longest one, and it is.

Now on the reviewing side of things, I would like to say thank you. Your reviews are a great inspiration to keep on working, and I appreciate the time and effort you put into reading my story, and telling me what you think. Please continue as it not only helps my writing get better, but it makes me feel good about myself too. I read over this chapter twice to check for spelling and grammar errors, and hopefully I got most of them, but there are probably still a few in there since I stayed up all night typing this chapter, and didn't sleep before the editing process.

Well, thanks for reading, and please keep it up. Hopefully this was a great chapter, and a nice addition to the story. I think it was, but I really can't know for sure until I hear what my readers have to say.


	21. Ten's Company!

Chapter 21 Ten's Company!

Kagami awoke from a happy dream into a happier world where she was holding the girl she loved. It was still night outside, and as Kagami glanced over her shoulder, all she could see was the digital clock by Kona's computer. The light became her point of focus, and immediately killed any sort of night vision she may have gained during her sleep. The lavender haired girl thought something seemed odd about the room, but with it being pitch black, it was hard to tell, so she just rolled back over to look at Konata who was still snoozing in the Tsundere's arms.

Konata shifted in her sleep, and as the blue haired girl raised her arm up above her head, Kagami barely avoided getting smacked in the face. Even so, The bigger girl giggled at her cute lover's sleeping habits, certain she would find herself seeing a lot more of them. It took a little while for her to be willing to ease her grip on Kona, but Kagami gradually let go of her little Otaku, so Konata could lie on her back, and move around to her heart's desire.

Kagami sighed as she looked at Kona's cute sleeping face. It was adorable, complete with a tiny smile that made Kagami want to squeal with delight. She couldn't help it, Kagami moved her face in close, and let her left cheek touch Konata's own left cheek, and she let the warmth of the little Otaku spread through her face. Kagami was a little unnerved by how comfortable she was here.

The Tsundere wasn't flustered at all by being so close to Konata. If anything she felt as if not being close to her would be the thing to be embarrassed about. It wasn't long before Kagami found herself stroking the soft blue hair of the girl lying next to her, and saying, "You're all mine now Kona, okay?"

As if in response, the blue haired girl yawned, and turned to snuggle in closely to Kagami's warmth. As comfortable as Kagami was, she almost couldn't believe it. Konata was finally hers. They would no doubt be together since Konata had said she still loved Kagami, and the lavender haired girl got a little teary eyed thinking of how happy this little blue haired angel made her.

Kagami hugged Kona close, and kissed her cheek lightly. The bigger girl really wished Konata would wake up so they could talk about things like they always did. Not to mention Kagami was looking forward to seeing into those big green eyes again. Kagami looked her love over, and said, "I can't believe I never thought about how beautiful you are until now. I love your cute little cheeks," at this point Kagami gave her Kona another light kiss on the cheek, and continued to say, "And your little nose." now kissing the tip of Konata's nose.

Kagami paused for a moment, before lightly nibbling on Konata's earlobe causing the smaller girl to gasp, and arch her back. Kagami giggled, as it seemed Konata really enjoyed that particular action. The lavender haired girl wanted to do it again, and see the cute face Kona had made a couple more times. She found her hands slowly sliding down Kona's back, and Kagami couldn't help but think how soft her love's bottom was as she gave it a gentle squeeze.

Kagami forced herself to stop at this point.. Deep down she knew it wasn't right to throw herself on Kona like this. Kagami wanted her love to accept her, not wake up to Kagami doing whatever she pleased. Even so it took a lot of effort to restrain herself. Seeing Konata so vulnerable struck something inside of Kagami that made the lavender girl want to just grab the smaller girl, and feel her, and kiss her all over.

The bigger girl settled for lying close to her love. Their cheeks were touching as both of them lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. Kagami had her right arm under Konata's back, so she could pull her in close if the smaller girl showed any signs of being uncomfortable. Kagami couldn't bear the silence creeping into the room. It felt heavy, so she spoke to Konata to lighten the mood. She knew the smaller girl probably wouldn't wake up for a long while, so she didn't worry about disturbing Konata.

Kagami said, "Y'know it's weird. We've been together for so long now, you're just a normal part of my life. I can't believe I didn't ever realize how important you are to me. " Kagami heard a small rustling noise, but it was so faint she couldn't be sure if she hadn't imagined it. As she thought about it, the lavender haired girl concluded she must have imagined it since it was probably too early for Kona to be stirring. Once she was comfortable again, she pulled Konata in a little closer to her, and continued, "I always dreamed some really cute guy would come to me, and play the knight rescuing me from being alone. I never thought I'd be the knight. All those cute guys I dreamed of too, even the cutest of them don't compare to you. Even if I was only making you feel better from something I caused in the first place, I'm glad you wanted me to be the one to make you feel better. "

The bigger girl paused for a few more minutes, content just to look over, and see the smaller girl now burying her face into Kagami's shoulder. Kagami turned towards Konata, and their faces were so close they might as well be touching. Kagami could feel the blue haired girl's breath on her own chin. It excited Kagami once again to think of her proximity to her lover.

Kagami used her left hand, which was free to feel the warmth of the smaller girl's cheek again, and feel how soft her hair was. She was almost back to square one, and considering feeling Konata all over again when she felt Konata tilt her head at an angle against Kagami's hand. It was only a few seconds later, Konata's eyes opened, and the smaller girl said, "Hey, stop moving so much Kagamin. I can't sleep."

Kagami hugged Konata closely now, excited to finally see her awake, even though the smaller girl would still be suffering from lack of sleep this early. Kona's eyes widened as Kagami pulled her into a close hug, and she said, "I'm so glad you're here Kagamin. Can you stay here?"

Kagami smiled, and said, "Don't worry Kona, I'm not planning on going anywhere."

Kagami moved her head closer to Kona's, intending to put their foreheads together, so she could share the feeling of comfort and warmth with the blue haired girl, but she was surprised and a little saddened as at the last minute Konata pulled away slightly, stopping the contact from occurring. Even in the dark, Kagami could see Konata trembling. She didn't understand why though, and tried to move in close again once more only to have Konata pull away once more.

The tsundere was frustrated, she wanted to hold her little Otaku closely and comfort her, but despite asking the bigger girl to stay, Konata wouldn't let her in close. Kagami asked kindly, not wanting to risk upsetting her love, "Hey Konata. What's the matter? You can tell me, okay?"

Konata looked as if she were about to tear up, and Kagami felt terrible when she heard the smaller girl's voice crack with emotion as she responded, "I'm scared Kagamin. I'm sorry, I just get scared when you get close to me really fast."

"Why is that?", asked the lavender haired girl, now starting to worry a little, and honestly fearing their relationship could already be at an end if Konata was too nervous to be close to her.

It wasn't long at all though before Konata continued on, saying, "I could die. I could really die if you left me Kagami. I mean for real, game over, the end. I don't want to die. So I'm afraid I'll scare you off again. I need you Kagamin. I love you, and I need to have you close even if you don't love me. Can you promise me you'll stay close? At least promise me we can still be best friends."

Konata was cut off by Kagami's finger stopping her lips. Kagami said to Konata, "Kona, I love you too. I promise you I'll be here for you, okay? You just promise me that you'll get better, and go back to being your usual self."

The silence at this point seemed to be the most intense thing Kagami had ever experienced. Waiting on Konata's response to decide if they could be together was almost to the point where Kagami felt it was crushing her. Kagami felt Konata suddenly grip her, and pull the bigger girl in close. In that moment Konata was surprisingly strong, or maybe Kagami was just surprised by how quickly the smaller girl had pulled her down. Kagami's head was resting on Konata's shoulder, and the lavender haired girl was staring upward, and to the side at the smaller girl's big green eyes.

Konata said quietly, "You love me Kagamin?"

Kagami answered immediately, "Yeah. Of course I do."

"Really?", came Kona's answer.

"Really.", said Kagami, now feeling more confidence coming back as she could tell from Kona's voice how happy the smaller girl was. It made Kagami feel light, like she could just float off, to hear how happy she had just made her love. Kagami didn't know if anything could ever feel that great again, but she was determined to create many happy memories with this smaller girl, and find out.

They were quiet for a moment before Kagami couldn't resist the urge to nibble on the blue haired girl's earlobe once more, causing Konata to blush furiously, and tremble in Kagami's arms as she held the smaller girl close. Kagami could feel the heat from the smaller girl's face radiating into the air, and causing the Tsundere to begin blushing in response.

The little Otaku asked quietly, "So...You're going to be all mine now, right?"

The Tsundere responded, "Yeah. I'm all yours."

"How can you say that so easily now?", asked Konata.

That line hurt Kagami, but in spite of it, she smiled. Kagami knew she deserved that, she deserved a lot more. Even so a few tears leaked out, Konata had promised anger, and the bigger girl was afraid she was about to receive it. She had never seen Kona angry at someone, and could only imagine what kind of scene it would be. Kagami answered back, as hard as it was, and as much as her voice was trembling, she knew this was a question that couldn't be avoided. The lavender haired girl said, "I'm sorry Kona. I was just scared. I know it was stupid, but I was scared everyone would leave me if I loved you."

"So you left me instead? You know _I_ would never leave you. You know you'll always have Tsukasa Miyuki, and me.", said Kona quietly, obviously upset.

Kagami felt a few more tears squeezed out as she closed her eyes in order to not have to face the disapproving stare of the girl she loved. That look hurt more than shouts ever could. That look burned its way through her closed eyelids, and Kagami could still see the eyes that gave her so much comfort, now making her afraid.

Kagami said, "I'm stupid okay? Please just yell at me, so we can move on Kona. I don't ever want you to be mad or leave me, okay? I'm so sorry I can't even think of any words to say it. I won't ever leave you again, I won't ever hurt you again, that I can promise you."

Kona's voice sounded broken as she responded, but Kagami couldn't help but notice how happy her face was. Kagami could tell how happy the smaller girl was just to have the older twin so close to her, and that gave Kagami a happiness that made her willing to face whatever Konata had for her. What Konata said was, "Do you know how bad I hurt? I hurt so bad I couldn't even believe it was pain at first. I couldn't believe that _you_, my best friend, would leave me. Don't you remember when I told you how bad it hurts me to be all alone? I finally had you. You promised me you would be my Best friend forever, that you couldn't get tired of it, and break it off after a few weeks. You left me anyways, and it hurt me so bad I decided to believe it wasn't real. Nothing that bad could really happen. I love you Kagamin, but I'm so scared of you I can hardly think straight. You could hurt me, you could kill me with just a few words if you went all Tsun-Tsun, and said you didn't love me now."

"I'll never say that," interjected Kagami, stopping Konata so she could speak, saying, "I love you too. You're everything to me Kona. I love you, and I'll never leave you, but one thing I can promise you forever and ever is that I will never say I don't love you. I'm going to be there, and I'm going to make sure you're never alone ever again. It hurt me too Konata. The first time I thought I lost you, you were just sleeping. I wanted to just stop, and give up. I couldn't believe it was real, I would deny the world itself before I accepted you were gone. This time I almost really lost you, and I wanted to die too. I don't ever want to think about living without you again if I can help it."

They were left back in that oppressive silence as Kagami finished talking, and then it was interrupted by a giggle. Kagami was instantly annoyed in spite of the outpouring of emotion she had just shown. She had been completely serious, and Konata was giggling at her? In spite of the situation Kagami was pissed until Kona said, "You thought you lost me because I fell asleep? That's really Dere-Dere of you. I wish I could have seen it."

Kagami couldn't help it, the anger melted out of her as she saw Konata's smile. She hugged the smaller girl close, and Kona said, "I forgive you, alright? There's no way I can stay mad at you. You're just too cute Kagamin."

Kona's face turned a dark shade of red as Kagami pressed their foreheads together, and the bigger girl enjoyed every second of Konata's trembling, and nervous movements. It was obvious Konata was completely out of her element when someone was so loving with her. It was adorable the way she tried to hide her face from Kagami because she was embarrassed at being embarrassed. Kagami knew she'd never get tired of that behavior, but for Konata's sake, she backed off a little, but still held the smaller girl close.

It wasn't long before she was lying on her back, and Konata was snuggling up to Kagami, burying her face in the gap between the bigger girl's shoulder, and neck. They lay that way for a while, and Kagami thought maybe her little Otaku had fallen asleep again, until Konata said quietly, "I guess I was the bunny after all, huh?"

"Big mistake.", thought Kagami.

It was too much cuteness for her to hold herself back anymore. Kagami rolled over on top of her love, and pressed the older girl's hands down above her head. Kona's face was more red than Kagami thought possible. She looked a little afraid, which just made the Tsundere more excited. Their fingers entwined as Kagami lowered her face down towards Kona's. The bigger girl's face was burning as well at this point.

Kagami stopped just before their lips were touching when Kona turned her face to avoid the kiss. Kagami was overcome with a sense of loss, she had been so close to taking Konata's first kiss, as well as giving her own. She asked Konata, "Why?"

Konata didn't meet Kagami's eyes, but kept her head turned away as she answered, "Hey. This is my first kiss we're talking about. There's no way I can just give it to you. You're gonna have to romance me some first. A first kiss is pretty important to a girl you know. It has to be perfect. I can't just let you go all Kaolla on me, and take it."

There it was. The sign that Kagami's little Kona was finally back. Kagami smiled as her annoyance crept up at Kona for spoiling the mood with some reference to games or anime, but at this point, she was just too happy being with her love to say anything on that subject, all she could do was press herself in close on Kona, and say, "I never knew you were such a romantic, but fine. I'll get that kiss out of you somehow, believe me. For now I think I'll make you regret your decision though. Maybe I'll even torture that kiss out of you."

With that Kagami instead kissed the tip of Kona's ear which she seemed to enjoy so much, and nibbled lightly on the lobe. Then harder, but making sure to cover her teeth with her lips so she didn't draw blood. Konata gasped, and tried to arch her back, but Kagami held her in place as she continue nibbling for nearly a minute, not giving Konata any break. When she gave up on her enjoyment of the crimson Otaku's reactions, and finally rolled off of Konata. The smaller girl was panting, and blushing furiously, and after a minute she finally managed to get out, "Woah! What was that Kagamin? You were like a dirty old man in a harem for a minute there."

Kagami smiled, despite the bit of warmth she felt flowing through her face at the honest comment. Then she said, "You said I couldn't kiss you, so I just did the next best thing. I had to show you how much I love you Kona, right?"

Konata's mouth was slightly agape at the tsundere's straightforward response. Once again Kagami couldn't believe how unbearably cute her little Kona was. Kona slowly reached out, grabbing Kagami's hands, and pulling them back towards her small body. Konata rubbed her cheek against the hands she cradled so lovingly, closing her eyes, and enjoying the sensations coursing through her body. When the smaller girl opened her eyes back up, and looked directly into the younger girl's eyes, it made Kagamin's heart skip a beat.

The eyes were half lidded in Konata's usual manner, but something about them seemed different. They didn't seem so lazy, they seemed warm, and full of love. Kagami's stomach tightened with nervousness as she realized how seriously the smaller girl was regarding her. They seemed to sparkle for a few moments, and Kagami could feel the love flowing from the other girl into her. It was overwhelming.

In Kagami's mind nothing existed other than herself, and the little Otaku playing such wonderful games with the Tsundere's emotions. Kagami said, "You're beautiful Kona."

The smaller girl blushed at the compliment, and lightly kissed Kagami's fingers in answer. When she finished with the final one, the blue haired girl looked Kagami in the eyes, seriously again, and said, "I love you."

Kagami once again moved in close to Konata, very suddenly causing the other girl to gasp, but Kagami didn't let her pull away this time. Kona hid her face in Kagami's chest for a few minutes before she got up the courage to look her lover in the eyes, and say quietly with a smile, "Hey. Can you call me Kona more often? It really makes me happy when you use a nickname for me. Almost like I really deserve to be with you."

The statement made Kagami both sad and happy. It would take a while, but Kagami swore she was going to make Konata's self confidence better. She couldn't be going around thinking she was inferior, especially since Kagami considered herself to be the lucky one of the two of them. Kagami slowly moved on top of Konata once again, entwining their fingers, and just laying on top of the small Otaku.

"Can you feel it?", Kagami whispered to Kona.

Konata answered, "All I feel is how much you love me Kagamin. It's really warm, but it's also really heavy, and makes it hard to breathe, although that might just be you."

Kagami almost giggled as she acted like the little jab annoyed her. She strongly pressed Konata's arms down. Showing her strength, making it perfectly clear to Konata she could easily take their first kiss on the lips, but held back because of the love she felt for the smaller girl. Kona looked up at her lover, and smiled as she said weakly, "Oh no. A wild Kagamin appeared."

Kagami released her Otaku's hand, and slid off of her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She held Kona as close as she could, and Kagami wanted Konata to know how much she was loved. Konata's answer to the embrace was, "Kagamin used bind on KonaKona. It's super effective."

Kagami couldn't help but be a little annoyed, but it was alright. Kona was hers, which made everything okay. The world was a perfect place as long as she had her love close. Kagami put a hand on top of the blue hair in front of her, and said fondly, "Shut up. Usagi-chan."

At that point there was a squeal from not far away that couldn't be ignored. It was followed by another voice whispering, "Shut up Hiyorin, it's getting really good."

The vein was back. Kagami was pissed, although not at Konata. The tsundere called out, "Alright, how long have you guys been watching!"

The light in the room suddenly came on, being switched on by Patty. The light blinded Kagami at first, but she couldn't believe what she was seeing as her vision cleared. Patty was grinning over by the door and the light switch. Yutaka, Minami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki were all practically glowing red. Misao was over in the corner, lying on her sleeping bag, covering her mouth, and seeming to try her best not to crack up, while Ayano was next to her smiling sweetly without a hint of embarrassment. Hiyori wasn't too far from Patty, sitting on top of her own sleeping bag covering her face.

A moment later, Hiyori said, "Yutaka. Tissues. Now, please."

Patty happily said, "No problem, Hiyorin, I gotcha covered."

With that she reached into a bag next to her sleeping bag, and pulled out a roll of paper towels, handing them to the bespectacled artist, while commenting, "I figured you'd need them once we all decided to sleep over until we could see if Kona-chan was okay."

"Wait." said a tiny voice causing everyone to turn and look towards Kagami as a small blue haired figure peeked out from around the Tsundere's back. Kona still had a bit of a blush left over from Kagami's treatment, and Kona was smiling ear to ear as she said with a quivering voice, "You all stayed here for me?"

Patty nodded back to the little Otaku, and Konata could feel herself tearing up. She crept around Kagami to sit on the edge of her bed. Now that the light was on, everyone could see the dark bags under Konata's eyes, and the way she swayed with the effort of sitting up. They could also see Kona's big smile.

They were all there for her. Not just Kagami. Kona giggled as Misao laughed loudly. Patty explained how once Kagami had started talking, her and Hiyori had kept Tsukasa, Minami, Miyuki, and Yutaka quiet while Misao kept Ayano quiet so they could see what was going to happen. With each word Patty spoke, Kagami turned a little more red, and at the end of the explanation Kagami looked like she was about to rage on the American girl, until Konata spoke aloud, "Thanks guys. I'm really happy you're all here for me."

At this point Tsukasa left her comfortable spot on the floor, and threw her arms around Kagami, and Konata. She was tearing up, and she said, "I'm so glad both of you are okay. I was worried about you Kona-chan. Also sis, I barely even got to talk to you after we brought you home. I was wondering if you were even strong enough to be out yet. See, your forehead is warm. You still have a fever don't you?"

Kagami pulled Tsukasa's hand away from her forehead, sighing, and saying, "My fever is gone Tsukasa. You don't need to worry about me. My forehead was just hot because...well..well, never mind."

As Kagami said, "never mind,", she was glancing over at Konata, and it didn't take Tsukasa long to connect the dots, and start flushing slightly herself. Then her shade of red deepened as the object of Kagami's affection threw her small arms around Tsukasa. No one had noticed when the tears had started flowing, triggered by Tsukasa's proximity, but everyone could now see Konata hugging Tsukasa tightly.

Konata was crying into Tsukasa's chest saying over and over again, "Thank you, thank you, thank you Tsukasa. You really did it. I knew you'd bring her back to me just like you said. I can't ever thank you enough. If there's ever anything you want me to do for you, just name it. I don't care what it is, I'll even give you my collector's edition Haruhi set if you want it."

Tsukasa accepted Konata's tears while patting her small friend's back, and looking a little afraid of the jealous look evident on Kagami's face. Tsukasa for the moment, said, "You're welcome Kona-chan, but it wasn't me. I don't think anyone could have stopped Onee-chan from coming to see you once she found out you were sick. If you want to do something nice for me though, could you make me a promise?"

"Anything.", the little Otaku responded.

Tsukasa hugged Kona, and said, "Just promise me that you'll make Kagami as happy as you possibly can, alright?"

Kagami's jealous look was quickly wiped off her face by her younger sister's smile, and kind gesture. The tsundere found herself accidentally whispering aloud, "Tsukasa."

Konata looked up into the younger twin's eyes, and said seriously, "I promise."

After Konata's words an awkward silence settled over the room. They were all friends, but it was so rare they ever gathered together like this, and now that they were at the point where normal conversation should begin, no one had any ideas of what they should talk about. It seemed like this silence was going to wreck the mood of the evening until Yutaka said enthusiastically, "I never thought you could stay in bed for five whole days even if you were sick Onee-chan!"

Silence for a few more seconds made it seem like there wasn't going to be a response, until Kona said seriously, "What was that?"

After speaking the words, Konata eyed Yutaka very seriously, making the smaller girl a little uncomfortable, but Yu-chan spoke up again, saying, "I said I never thought you could stay in bed for five whole days."

Konata let go of Tsukasa, and ambled over to her computer, almost stepping on Miyuki who hadn't said anything because she was nodding off from the sheer effort of staying awake so late in the night. Kona moved the mouse around until the computer came out of standby mode, and then placed the cursor over the clock until the date popped up.

When Konata turned back to face her little cousin, she had a very worried look on her face, and the smaller girl thought she could actually see Kona's face take on a slightly blue hue. Konata then said, "I have one very, VERY important question for you Yu-chan."

"What is it Onee-chan?", responded the smaller girl, now looking very worried over how serious her cousin was.

The tension settled over everyone. It was a rare sight for Konata to have such a grim look on her face, and the grimness was only enhanced by the paleness in her skin, and the bags under her eyes. All the girls could hardly stand the silence in the few moments before Konata said, "Did dad remember to set the recorder for all the new anime?"

No one could doubt the serious manner in which Konata asked this question. She had asked it, like she thought someone may have died, and she was reluctant to ask about it, but had to anyways. Then silence pervaded the room again. Everyone was looking at the blue haired girl with varying thoughts, until Tsukasa broke the silence with a small giggle.

The giggle was followed by Kagami giving an outright laugh. The laugh was then passed on to Patty, and it wasn't long at all before nearly everyone was laughing, leaving Kona, asking, "Hey. What's so funny guys? I wanna know too."

Minami was blushing, and smiling, trying her best, not to laugh, but in a lull of the laughter when everyone was busy catching their breath, the green haired girl let out a girlish giggle, starting them all on laughter again. The only one who wasn't laughing was Miyuki, who was sitting up in a very rigid manner, facing towards Kagami.

Kona noticed this, and asked, "Why are you looking all serious Yuki-chan?"

Kagami noticed the pink haired girl's posture, and then examined her face before smiling, and motioning for Kona to come around and look. The blue haired girl came over to stand in front of Kagami, and then turned to face Miyuki, smiling. The pink haired girl was sitting rigidly. Her posture was perfect with the shoulders squared perfectly, and looking straight ahead. Her face however was perfectly relaxed, and her eyes were closed.

It seemed Miyuki had fallen asleep during the effort of keeping herself awake to enjoy the company of her friends. Kona sighed loudly, and said, "Being cute just isn't fair. Sometimes she pisses me off with that stuff."

Even so Konata gently gripped Miyuki's shoulder's, and let the bigger girl down gently onto the end of her sleeping bag. Once Miyuki was lying comfortable Konata removed the glasses from the bigger girl's face, and placed them on her computer desk. Hiyori gave another squeak at this scene, and one could only imagine what she was thinking. As for Konata though, she was feeling weary as well.

The blue haired Otaku said to everyone, "Thanks guys. You all staying here for me really means a lot. I don't know what I'd do without all of you."

Konata wobbled a little, and almost lost balance until she felt Kagami's strong arms pulling her in close. Kona could only manage a little, "I'm tired.", before passing out. All of the girls forgot their current thoughts as they watched Kagami cradled Kona lovingly, and lay the smaller girl comfortably in bed before yawning, and wrapping her arms around the blue haired girl.

Kagami said to them, "Yeah I think I'm going to sleep some more too. You all should hurry and rest up. It's a school night after all."

That statement that only Kagami would make seemed to bring the girls back to reality as they all cast nervous glances at the clock, probably considering what could be sacrificed from their morning routines in order to sleep the latest, and still be at school on time. It wasn't long at all before the light was cut off, and relaxed breathing could be heard all through the room.

It was maybe ten minutes after the light went out that Misao, who had been oddly quiet spoke up, and said, "Hey Hiragi?"

Kagami answered tiredly from her spot holding Kona, "Yeah, Misao, what is it?"

"Do you really love the midget?", came the the brown-haired girl's blunt reply.

Kagami answered immediately, not even needing to think it over, "Yeah. I really do."

There was a moment of silence before the fanged girl responded, "That's good. I hope you two are happy."

Kagami thought this conversation was a bit odd, and she asked, her curiosity aroused, "What's that about?"

Misao replied simply, "Nothing really. I just always like it when my friends are happy. I love my friends, alright? Anyways, G'night Hiragi. Get better soon, so I can get back to copying your notes, alright?"

Kagami couldn't bring herself to get aggravated at the last comment. Something in Misao's voice had made her very happy. Kagami was touched that they could all care for each other so openly. Even the brown haired girl Kagami had always thought was pretty insensitive seemed worried about her and Konata. Kagami knew friends like that were a treasure, and as she passed into sleep, she promised to always keep every single one of them close.

She promised to never let herself or Konata be all alone ever again.

* * *

Author's note: Finally we can get back into some happier stuff. I didn't feel right about diving straight back into happiness headfirst though, so I put in a little bit of drama to transition a little better.

I'm very happy to see how the last chapter was received. I was honestly worried I took it a little too far with the Love and Pain battling. I probably should have done this in my last chapter, but I think I'll explain how I saw Pain and Love now.

Love was a part of Konata, who after the heartbreak was the part that wanted to immediately forgive Kagami, and go rushing back to her since Kagami was the most important thing in Kona's life. Konata would have been more than happy to do that too, if it wasn't for Pain.

Pain was created not only from the Pain of Kagami leaving Konata, she had been there for a very long time. She was the accumulation of all the hurt and loneliness built up through the years, and her strength was only increased by Kagami's rejection. Not only that though, Pain had absorbed Konata's love for everyone else. Pain believed honestly if Konata went back to Kagami, she would get hurt again. That isn't what she was afraid of though. Pain saw how much it hurt everyone to see Konata hurting, and deduced if they went back to Kagami, and got hurt again, they would end up just hurting their friends even more, which would cause them all to leave, and for Konata to be all alone again.

Honestly I think pain may have been more of Konata's desperate fear of having to go back to not having any friends more than her actual hurt, so I don't think I would have gone wrong to have named her Fear, if I had named that voice Fear back in the beginning.

As the two voices weakened though, they stopped resembling Konata, and looked more like child Kona. They finally understood thanks to Konata's intervention that their friends would never leave them. When they died, I didn't mean for it to seem as if the voices had just been wiped from existence either. I meant for it to be taken as without the two voices in conflict, they had no more purpose in that world, and faded, leaving Konata to be her old self again, and without the indecision caused by the conflicting feelings, she could finally face her hurt, and her fear, and move on.

Sorry about such a huge Author's note guys, but I received quite a few pms requesting explanations, so I decided to go ahead, and explain the best I can. If you still don't understand the explanation I've provided then just send me a message, and I'll try and clarify for you, but be warned that I've never been very good at explaining things, and might just confuse you even more.

Thanks for your reviews and support guys. I hope you liked this chapter, and I urge you to continue reading until the story's end.


	22. Public Opinion!

Chapter 22 Public Opinion!

"But I don't want to study Kagamiiin!", moaned an exasperated Konata, looking over at Kagami who had arrived with that day's schoolwork courtesy of Ms. Kuroi.

Kagami had come straight over after school, not even changing out of her uniform. The tsundere was smiling at her love, but her tone was harsh as she said, "Sorry Kona, but there's no way I'm letting you fall behind in your studies when we're so close to graduation. Besides, even if I didn't come over, and make you study, you know Kuroi-sensei would just show up, and then you'd actually be doing your work."

Konata sighed in defeat, knowing Kagami wasn't going to be argued with on this topic. It had been five days since Konata had recovered, and for the most part, the blue haired girl was recovered completely. Her rambunctious demeanor had returned, and she had even managed to make Kagami angry two or three times. The bags under Kona's eyes had disappeared after two days of rest, and her skin was back to its usual tone.

Still, little Kona had hope of getting out of another boring afternoon of studying, as she said, "But Kagamin. I'm so frail. I don't think I can do it. Maybe you should do both of our work, just for one more day...please?"

Kagami sighed heavily as she walked over to where Konata was sitting on the edge of her bed, and wrapped her arms around the little blue haired Otaku, saying, "If I do it for you, you won't learn anything. Today we're actually going to work on it until you understand the material. I'll help you, but don't expect me to be giving you any answers."

At this Konata crossed her arms, and pouted, causing Kagami to giggle, which only increased Konata's annoyance. Despite not wanting to study though, it only took a little prodding from Kagami to get Kona to start on the work. After all, the sooner they finished, the sooner they could have the time just for them that they had promised, and Konata smiled broadly thinking of Kagami holding her close, and hearing how much the bigger girl loved her.

"Stop spacing out Kona! We have to focus.", snapped Kagami after Kona's thoughts had distracted her from writing anything for nearly three minutes.

Konata grinned back at her lover, and said, "Would you still be saying that, if you knew I was daydreaming about you Kagamin?"

The blue haired girl loved the response she got. First Kagami smiled, and got a dreamy sort of look in her eyes, and then she started blushing a little. After the blush was there for a few seconds, Kagami shook her head, and huffed angrily at her little lover, saying, "Hey! Stop trying to distract me too. There will be plenty of time for us to be all lovey-dovey after we finish our work. Besides...", Kagami trailed off for a moment with a little smile, and blush that caused Konata to scream, "KAWAIIIII!", in her mind.

The Tsundere continued, "You promised you were going to make us a picnic today, and if we don't focus on this right now, we won't have time for that!"

Konata wrote the answer to a mathematics problem, before sending Kagami her finest cat grin, and saying, "Oh? Is that why Kagamin seems so driven today? You sure get riled up when food is involved."

The Otaku saw the vein stick out on her Tsundere's forehead, and shot a remark that cut Kagami's retort off in the younger girl's throat. Konata had said, "I love you."

The vein faded as Kagami smiled sweetly at the smaller girl, and said, "I love you too."

The two girls stared into each other's eyes, both thinking about how beautiful the other was. Konata would have been content to stay that way all day, but Kagami had other plans as she said, "You still have to do this work though."

After many loud groans, and about an hour of hard work, the two girls closed their books, and Konata sprawled out on the floor, whining, "Why does she load me up with so much homework even though she knows I'm still so weak? I don't see why she can't do it for me since she wants to be all lovey on me anyways."

Kagami smiled, and lay down on the floor, curling up next to her Kona, and resting her head on the Otaku's left shoulder. The Tsundere didn't need any explanation as to who "She" was. Kagami remembered how happy Nanako had been to see Konata awake, the morning after the sleepover with all their friends. The blonde woman had hugged Kona for nearly half an hour, making Kagami more than a little jealous. She didn't like people taking Konata's attention away from her.

Since then, Kuroi had had more than a few talks with Kagami about responsibility in a relationship, which had been very awkward. The teacher had sounded like an overprotective father talking with the guy who was about to take his daughter out on their first date. After classes every day, Nanako would stop Kagami, and ask if she was going to see Konata. Kagami had indeed been heading to see her girlfriend every day except for one when she had promised to spend time with Tsukasa so her younger twin wouldn't be lonely.

When Kagami was going to see Konata, the older woman handed over a printout of a lecture, and the classwork, and homework that had been assigned. On the day Kagami hadn't gone over to see her little blue haired darling, the Otaku in question had called Kagami just to let the bigger girl know how miserable she had been with Nanako forcing a lesson, and homework down her throat, while lecturing her on potential.

Konata's whining about how frail she was had kept her out of school this long, even though it was obvious her body had recovered from any trauma it may have experienced, but Kagami was glad to know that her love would be back at school starting the next day. In honor of Konata's recovery though, the blue haired girl had spent most of the day getting some food ready for a picnic she had promised Kagami the night before.

Now that it was time to head out though, Kona found herself reluctant to move. Sure she had put all of her energy and love into a great meal for Kagami, and it would be a shame for that to go to waste, but the blue haired girl didn't want to lose the feeling of Kagami cuddling against her. Kona wrapped her arms around the bigger girl, and rolled to face her.

From their angle, Kagami had to look upwards to meet Konata's loving eyes, and they both blushed heavily for a few moments before smiling at each other. The moment was great as Kona closed her eyes, and soaked up the warmth and comfort the other girl gave off. Their lovely silence was interrupted by a large rumble from Kagami's stomach.

Konata laughed loudly as Kagami's shade of red deepened. The Tsundere's blush got heavier the longer Konata laughed and rolled for nearly a minute. When the blue haired girl recovered enough to speak, she was wiping tears out of her eyes as she said, "I can always count on Kaeru-kun to speak your mind Kagamin."

The lavender haired girl sputtered a response of, "Well...It can't be helped. I didn't eat breakfast this morning or even lunch."

Konata grinned at her lover, and said, "Are you dieting for me Kagamin?"

"No," responding Kagami, and Konata wanted to just wrap the other girl up, and kiss her all over when she seemed suddenly shy and nervous as she continued, "I didn't eat anything because I didn't want to waste any of the food you made for me. Besides, I was a little scared to keep my old diet going since you said you liked girls with a little extra padding."

Kagami was embarrassed as she repeated word for word what Konata had said to her a couple days before. She even broke eye contact to look down away from Kona as if to emphasize her shame in repeating the line. Konata however squealed in a manner similar to Hiyorin's, and said, "Kagamin. You're so cute it's not even fair! Besides, it doesn't matter what I said a couple days ago. Didn't you hear me a few minutes ago when I said 'I love you,'? That means I love you no matter what. You can look any way you want to, and I'll still love you just as much."

Kona sat up, still clutching Kagami close to her, and she let her Tsundere just rest her head against the smaller girl's chest for a few minutes, noting how soft the tiny lumps there were, before saying, "Alright, let's go. There's no way I can just leave you hungry after all."

Kagami smiled, and stood up, extending her hand to help Konata up in return. The lavender haired girl said, "Alright. I can't wait to see the spot you picked out. I'll go change in your bathroom while you get the food ready, okay?"

"Uhh...Kagamin?", said Konata, pinching her lover's shirt, and stopping her from leaving the room.

The Tsundere looked at Kona curiously before the blue haired girl finished, "I know I've never told you this, but when my dad is around, you should make sure to knock all along the wall before you get there. Yu-chan didn't listen. Poor, poor Yu-chan. I feel her pain."

Kagami sighed, why was it that everything Konata said about her dad seemed really creepy? It made Kagami not want to head to the bathroom, so instead she said, "Alright. You head down to the kitchen, and I'll just change in here. I really don't want to know why Yutaka could be traumatized by the toilet."

With that the lavender haired girl, walked over to her bag, and picked some clothes up out of them, spreading them on Kona's bed. As the bigger girl turned around, she noticed Konata still standing by the door watching. Kagami paused for a few seconds. Then she started turning red, and gritting her teeth. When Konata, didn't get the hint, she shouted, "Get out so I can change!"

The blue haired girl looked genuinely shocked, which Kagami was sure was an act, and said, "What! I don't get to watch?"

Konata was only able to meet the death glare she received for a few moments before she backed out, and closed the door. Kagami waited for a few moments fully expecting it when when Kona burst back in saying, "Oops, Sorry! I forgot something!"

"Get out!", shouted Kagami. Fed up with Konata's childishness, but really more embarrassed at being so obviously ogled.

Konata looked frustrated as well, as she said, "C'mon, you could give me just a little fanservice! I deserve at least that much."

Kagami blushed deeply, and muttered, "Fine, just one peek though."

Kagami slowly raised her shirt up, until Konata could see the faintest trace of her tsundere's purple bra. The little Otaku cheered loudly, and then shouted, "Now raise the skirt, I want to see if they match!"

Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over Konata, a feeling she had only felt once before. Back when Kagami had found out Kona had entered them as a couple in a couples competition. Kagami said in a very sweet tone that gave Konata chills, "Kona baby. I think you should probably leave so I don't kill you."

The blue haired one stepped out of her room, and closed the door, not planning on busting back in. Instead she went downstairs, and began packing food she had stored in the refrigerator, and oven into a picnic basket. Once the blue haired girl was finished, she leaned against the counter, and waited on Kagami. Getting excited when she heard soft steps coming down the stairs.

Konata couldn't resist her playful urges, and snuck to the base of the stairs, just out of sight of anyone who would be coming down them. When the Otaku heard the footfall on the final stair, she jumped out, and said, "Hey good lookin'-"

Her comment was cut off, and she turned a deep crimson shade, as the small girl she was looking into the face of also turned dark red. There was silence for a few moments in which both girls regarded each other very seriously. Yutaka said quietly, "Umm...I invited Minami-chan over. Do you think it's okay even though I didn't ask?"

"Yeah, that's fine.", replied Kona awkwardly. Both girls still stood at the base of the stairs, blushing heavily in their awkward silence, until Konata couldn't take it anymore, and said, "So...How's stuff?"

Yutaka couldn't quite meet her older cousin's eyes as she said, "I'm going to go back to my room now."

Kona nodded back to her little cousin, and said, "Yeah, I think I'll go feel ashamed over by the refrigerator."

With that the two girls parted in awkwardness. Konata waited in the kitchen for Kagami to come down, and by the time the Tsundere actually came down the stairs, Kona was laughing loudly in the kitchen. Kagami put her hands on her hips, and felt annoyed thinking Konata was laughing at the outfit she had picked out, but it became apparent from the blue haired girl's closed eyes, and bent posture holding her ribs that Konata hadn't even noticed her girlfriend had arrived.

Kagami smiled, and said, "Hey, what's so funny?"

The little Otaku managed to calm herself, and said, "Oh, nothing important, let's just get going okay?"

Konata looked Kagami over as she finished her statement to see Kagami's hair hanging down, not styled into twin tails like usual. There was a white ribbon styling her hair back into a ponytail. Kagami was wearing a red vest with a white shirt beneath it, the sleeves of the shirt came almost to the bigger girl's wrists, and ended in a cuff fastened tightly by two buttons.

Below the vest was a red skirt which stopped an inch short of Kagami's knees. Konata couldn't stop looking at her cute girlfriend, and it wasn't long before Kagami was blushing, and saying, "Go ahead and make fun of it. Let's just get it out of the way."

Konata stepped in close, and grabbed Kagami's hands. Holding them between the two girls at waist level, saying, "You're beautiful Kagami. It also makes me feel really special that you try so hard to look nice for me."

The younger girl smiled, and looked away from Kona in an embarrassed manner. As for Konata, she felt a little inferior since she was only wearing a pair of blue jeans, and a white long sleeve t-shirt with blue sleeves. Those feelings didn't matter though. Her Kagamin was smiling happily in front of her, and they were ready to take the next step as girlfriends. They were using this outing to test the waters of love, and see how things went out in public. If it wasn't too early, then they would be planning their first _real_ date very soon.

Even though they had agreed that this wasn't a date, Konata was still very excited, and it was obvious from Kagami's carefully assembled outfit that she was too. The blue haired girl couldn't help but notice how tense Kagami was though, so she decided on a playful jab. She asked, "You're looking great and all, but I thought you hated how you look in a ponytail. It's not girly at all."

Kagami looked worried as she responded, which hadn't been Kona's intention at all. The tsundere said, "Well, I thought you said, when I wore it I had...ummm...moe?"

"Yeah. I said you had boy moe. Still, it's pretty cute, and I like it. I just prefer it the normal way. When we go out like this, I keep thinking your single tail means you're focusing on only one aspect of yourself. Either the Tsun-Tsun, or the Dere-Dere. I have to tell you, I'm not really interested in half of you."

"Knock your tsundere talk off Konata. I said to quit calling me that.", responded an annoyed Kagami, who was still slightly blushing from when Konata had called her cute.

Kona replied, "Ah, so it's Tsun-Tsun today, huh? I guess that _is_ my favorite. I love the way your pretty eyes sparkle when you get mad at me."

The younger girl wasn't sure how she should respond, her initial feeling was annoyance, but the compliment afterward made her smile. Kagami decided to go with the happier of her feelings since it seemed appropriate for the day, and just hugged Kona, saying, "Let's just go alright?"

It was Konata's turn to redden as she was pulled in lovingly by the lavender haired beauty in front of her. Kona made a mental note to try and get over the nervousness, and embarrassment that always crept into her when Kagami was holding her. She didn't like being overcome with strong feelings that she was still working hard to understand the real depth of. All the blue haired Otaku had managed to find out so far, were that her feelings for Kagami were strong. Stronger than anything she had ever felt before. Maybe stronger than everything she had ever felt before. That, and her feeling's name was Love.

Kona fondly said, "And my Dere-Dere is here too. It's like I got two in one with you.

Kagami replied, "Don't make it sound like I have some kind of personality disorder."

Konata left Kagamin's loving grip, and fetched the basket before meeting her lover at the door to start their first run in public as a couple. They left together, and as they walked towards the train station, heading to a spot Konata had picked out beforehand. Kona's right hand suddenly felt warm, and she glanced down to see Kagami was gripping her hand tightly in her own left hand. The blue haired girl blushed a little, but she wasn't worried about it. Sure they were getting strange looks from a couple of people, but Kona didn't care what they thought about her and Kagami. Apparently neither did Kagami, because when the blue haired girl looked up at Kagami's face, the tsundere just smiled sweetly at her.

In the day, and without the storm, and shadows beasts, the trip from Kona's house to the station didn't take nearly as long. Konata's happiness at seeing the building hadn't diminished any from her experience with it in her mental prison. The Otaku happily walked in, and happily walked down the stairs gripping Kagami's hand, she wasn't so thrilled about the commuting fee to get through the turnstiles, but it was a small price to pay to finally be aboard the train leaning against Kagami's shoulder.

The bigger girl smiled as she felt Kona's weight settle in against her shoulder. The lavender haired girl wasn't embarrassed by something like this, Kona dozed off on the train all the time, using Kagami as her pillow. This time was different though. The little Otaku had no intention of falling asleep here. She was just leaning against Kagami, enjoying the shape, and the contact of her lover's body. It wasn't so bad. Even with the few looks they got on the train, Kagami couldn't bring herself to get flustered over what they might think. What Kona thought of her was just much too important, and the little Otaku's opinion overwhelmed the importance of Kagami's precious image in the minds of others.

While following this train of thought though, Kagami's shade of red deepened as she felt Kona slip her little arms around the Tsundere's waist. Making sure they were as close to each other as possible. It felt very liberating for Kagami to be so open with her feelings. She had always tried very hard not to show too much of what she felt to other people, but there was just something about Kona that made her forget about all that.

Even before they had been best friends, Konata had always been able to find out the feelings Kagami kept hidden very easily just by getting her mad, so she let everything slip. The lavender haired girl had been perfectly aware of what was going on, but there was just nothing she could do about her temper. Just like there was nothing she could do to relieve the burning that engulfed her body when her little Otaku was holding Kagami so lovingly.

Resisting the things that burning sensation whispered for her to do to Konata made the quiet train ride seem an eternity. Finally though, Kona stood up, and led Kagami out of the train at a familiar stop. They weren't too far from one of the arcades Konata really enjoyed, and sometimes drug the tsundere into. There were a few minutes where Kagami was dreading the lump she would be forced to give Konata if the blue haired girl led them into the arcade to set up a picnic, but they quickly passed it by, with Kona giving it nothing more than a longing glance.

The blue haired girl moved through the streets with purpose, actually pulling her tsundere along at a couple points when the lavender haired girl wasn't moving fast enough. It was only a few minutes after they passed the arcade that Kona stopped with a big grin, and Kagami looked around hoping she could spot wherever Konata had decided to set up the picnic.

The blue haired girl stepped off the sidewalk into grass, as she walked down a slight incline. Kagami followed, looking around. It wasn't long until they had reached the bottom of the incline, and were on a flat plain next to the river. Not incredibly far from the bridge that let cars cross over it. Konata smiled, as Kagami stared out at the river while the Otaku busied herself setting up the picnic.

At this time of day, the sunset's light angled down, reflecting off the water, making it appear to be made of a beautiful orange glowing fire. The light then arced up, reflecting off the bottom of the bridge, and casting the water's flowing and shifting shadows all around them. Kagami couldn't help but notice how unreal everything seemed, even Kona seemed supernatural with those shadows crawling across her.

Konata looked up towards Kagami after setting out the blanket they would sit on, and was surprised to find the Tsundere staring at her. The light caught Konata's eyes, and just for a minute those green emeralds lit up with orange deep in their depths, as a dreamy look, and slight blush dominated Konata's face under such scrutiny from her lover.

Kagami once again found herself unable to believe how she had never noticed how beautiful this smaller girl was. The younger girl closed the distance between the two of them, and hugged Konata tightly, feeling the other girl relax in her arms. It wasn't long until Kona was resting her head on Kagami's chest just enjoying their contact once again.

Finally the Otaku was able to look into her tsundere's eyes, and say, "Thanks a lot for coming Kagamin."

The bigger girl smiled, and said, "No problem. You know I'm happy to be here."

As Kagami released her little Otaku, the light hit the smaller girl again, giving her an aura glowing of orange before she sat down on the blanket, and motioned for the tsundere to sit down across from her. The bigger girl obliged, and smiled as Konata went about pulling some dishes out, and putting food into each one.

There was Onigiri, some stewed vegetables, as well as fried chicken, and a small salad consisting of diced tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced cucumber. Kagami watched as Konata shoveled food onto a plate, and then held it out to Kagami to take. The lavender haired girl hadn't expected to have her plate fixed for her once Kona had set out all the dishes with food on them, and so she didn't react for a moment, causing Konata to say, "What's the matter, are you waiting for me to feed you again?"

Kagami blushed deeply causing the blue haired girl to grin, and say, "I really don't mind if it's what you want Kagamin."

Kagami lowered her face a little, to look Kona in the eyes, while still blushing, and said, "O-Okay. I guess it could be nice, huh?"

Kagami's nervousness at going with the idea Kona had suggested was pretty apparent in her wavering voice. The bigger girl hadn't realized her small love had been joking, but now the Otaku's eyes were sparkling, as she happily exclaimed, "Really! It's really okay?"

"Yeah.", said Kagami quietly, smiling because of how happy Konata looked.

The blue haired girl said, "Alright, give me just a second to get the chicken off of the bone."

With that the smaller girl expertly began pulling the fried chicken from the bone in neat strips, and placing them in a plastic container for easy reach. Once it was separated, the Otaku looked into Kagami's eyes happily, and asked, "So, what do you want to eat first?"

Kagami was about to say the salad, but Kona noticed her eyes drifting towards the delicious looking Onigiri, and chuckled. Kagami braced herself for a comment about her weight, but Konata just wrapped one arm around her lover's waist, and picked up one of the rice cakes with the other. It was only a moment later that Kagami was nibbling on the treat in Kona's hand. Both girls were blushing a little, and Kagami rested her head on Konata's shoulder while she was chewing.

The bigger girl soon felt Kona tilt her head so that they were resting against each other. Once the rice cake was finished, Kagami sat up, and looked at Konata, saying, "Wow. That was really good. Was that a salmon filling?"

The blue haired girl nodded, and grinned, saying, "Yeah, but Kagamin, you didn't eat it all."

With that Kona reached out to the corner of Kagami's mouth, plucking a leftover piece of rice off the bigger girl's lip, and put it in her own mouth. The little blush on Kona's face was so adorable that the lavender haired girl just wanted to wrap her up in a hug, and never let go.

Soon afterward, Konata was feeding Kagami some of the chicken using a set of chopsticks to grip it with, and they took turns feeding each other different things until the sky started to get a little darker, and the whole world seemed orange around them.

They realized at that point that they had better feed themselves if they wanted to finish before nightfall. The rest of the meal was pleasant, and it wasn't long at all before the dishes were packed away back in Konata's basket, and they were just holding onto each other, enjoying each other's company. Kona was being held by Kagami from behind. The bigger girl had grabbed Konata's hands, and leaned in over her shoulder to wrap her arms around the smaller girl.

The Otaku just enjoyed the warmth, and love pouring from her lover, and leaned back against Kagami feeling the younger girl's grip tighten on her. While her tsundere was there, gripping Konata so tightly, the smaller girl couldn't help but feel like everything was perfect. She was in her love's arms. Her friends loved her, and she had even somehow gained a mother. It was amazing to her how happy she could be, it was totally unlike she had felt for the majority of her life, and Konata welcomed the feeling.

Kagami listened to her girlfriend start humming a tune, and after a couple minutes of the slow tune repeating she smiled, and asked, "Hey, what is that from?"

She enjoyed the mellow pacing of the tune, and it was pretty catchy. So Kagami's curiosity was only aroused even more when Konata said, "Oh, that's from me to you, Kagamin."

Before Kagami could ask what her girlfriend meant by that, Konata started singing quietly to the tune she had been humming a few moments before. Kagami loved her Otaku's singing voice, but was moved almost to the point of tears when she heard the lyrics. Konata, sang

_I met a Tsundere girl,_

_Who has changed my world._

_She turns my senses upside down,_

_and makes my vision swirl._

_But she's in love with me,_

_and it's plain to see._

_So I can't help but love her,_

_she's my baby girl._

_So won't you stay with me,_

_my darling Kagami._

_I'll be something amazing_

_like you've never seen._

_If you'll let me be your dove,_

_So you can be my love._

_I'll lift your spirit high,_

_into the sky above._

_So don't you think about running,_

_don't you try to hide._

_I'll always love you when it's sunny,_

_and I'll hold you at night_

_Don't ever try and think_

_you can't be with me._

_I'll chase as long as it takes to sink in._

_You're mine Kagamin._

As the short song that took about a minute to sing came to an end, Kagami squeezed her lover tight. She couldn't believe Konata had made a song for her, she was amazed, and said, "I never knew you would be so romantic Konata. I loved it. Thanks a lot."

The little Otaku turned a deep shade of red as she felt Kagami trailing kisses along her neck, but she answered, "You know, I used to dream about having someone really romantic too. I wanted them to write songs, and poems for me, and tell me they loved me all the time. Now that I have you though, I just feel like I'd rather be the one doing that stuff. I want to make you happy Kagamin. I still don't know what you see in me, but I'm never going to let someone steal you away from me. I'll be the best girlfriend you could ever hope to have, alright? So please don't leave me."

Kagami rested her chin on top of the Otaku's head, and said lovingly, "I'd never leave you Konata. You're more than enough for me. Everything I could possibly want is just part of who you are, and then you just keep on becoming better, and surprising me even more. I love you, and you don't ever have to be scared of being all alone again, okay? There's no way I'll ever let that happen."

They stayed that way for a while, Kona just resting against her lovely tsundere, and wondering how she could be so lucky. Nearly ten minutes passed in silence, both girls content to watch the big orange and pink sun fade a little at a time. Soon the street lights would be coming on, and they'd have to go home, but for now they were happy just sitting there soaking in each other's love.

Kagami finally broke the content silence, and asked, "What made you pick this spot anyways? There are a thousand different picnic grounds you could have chosen from."

Konata tilted her head back until she was looking at Kagami's upside down face, and said, "Isn't it obvious. This is where all the cool people hang out in animes. All the good modern anime shows also have some scenes in a place like this."

Kagami said fondly, "I should have known it was something like that. You should stop making so many anime references when we're having our romantic time."

Konata smiled, and responded happily, "Or maybe...It's YOU who should be making MORE anime references. I know it's a mind blowing thought, but just consider it for a while."

Kagami smiled then, and gave Konata's hands a gentle squeeze, loving the orange flare her eyes took on with the sunset beaming strongly down on them. Kagami moved her head alongside Kona's, rubbing their cheeks together for a few moments, before gently nibbling on the smaller girl's earlobe causing Konata to tense up beautifully, and push her weight deeply into Kagami's chest, blushing in a very cute way. The smaller girl said in an annoyed manner, "Kagamin, why do you always do that?"

"Earlobes," responded Kagami sensually, lighting a fire in Konata's heart that made her want to do very improper things to her girlfriend. Kagami nibbled a little too hard though, causing Konata to say, "Ouch."

The bigger girl didn't stop though, and continued suckling on Kona's ear, saying, "If I don't do it I'll overflow."

Konata's eyes widened as Kagami leaned over, making both of them lie together on the blanket, and the smaller girl recognized Kagami's anime reference. Kagami wrapped both arms around Konata's neck as they fell over, and soon the bigger girl was face down in her Otaku's shoulder, while Konata was left staring up at the orange sky.

The smaller girl had trouble believing something so incredible could be real. Something that made her this happy had to be a dream, but it wasn't. Kona's big green eyes softened as she lay there with Kagami hugging her, and Konata smiled as she said, "Nothing ordinary happens here. Everything is amazing."

* * *

Author's note: I really enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully it'll show through in the work. Once again, I'd like to thank you all for reading this story, and I really hope you enjoyed this. There are a couple things I'll explain for your enjoyment though.

At one point in the chapter, after Kagami's stomach rumbles, and interrupts an intimate moment. Konata says, "I can always count on Kaeru-kun to speak your mind Kagamin."

For those wondering, Kaeru means frog in Japanese, or at least is one of the words that means frog. So Konata has nicknamed Kagami's stomach after a frog, implying she finds its grumble similar to that of a frog's croak.

The ending of this chapter was pretty fun to write, and was basically one big reference, in order to understand the reference, all you need to do is watch the first two minutes of the first episode of Fooly Cooly, or Furi Kuri, or FLCL, or whatever you want to call it. It's a great, but short anime I suggest everyone watch. Six episodes long, but the epicness of it can't be denied.

Anyways, once again, thanks for reading. Your reading it alone make it worth it to work on this story, but your responses are definitely my favorite part.


	23. Back to Normal!

Chapter 23 Back to Normal!

Konata awoke with a groan as her alarm clock went off. The noise drilled into her head, and she looked to the other side of the room where Kagami had moved the small buzzing object to a few days earlier. The lavender haired girl's reasoning had been that Konata wouldn't be able to just roll over and hit snooze before going back to bed.

The little Otaku grumbled about how she would never admit her girlfriend had been right on this particular issue the whole trip to the other side to shut the thing off. Once she was up though, the blue haired girl felt a little better, and decided to go ahead, and start getting ready for school. She considered calling Kagami just to talk since she had much longer than normal to get ready because of the stupid alarm clock actually serving its purpose.

Konata rummaged through her closet picking out the least wrinkled school uniform she could find, and some anime print underwear. Then heading towards the bathroom to prepare for the day. The first thing the Otaku did was wash her face with cold water, which immediately took the last bits of sleepiness out of her. Next came brushing her teeth, and then brushing most of her hair before she slipped out of her green pajamas, and put on some deodorant.

After the blue haired girl was dressed, she headed back to her room to check her clock, and see how much longer before she had to leave. Konata still had an hour before the time she usually headed out. That meant she could spend the hour catching up on the time she had lost playing games while sick. As Konata sat down at her computer, readying for some game time though, there was a knock on her door.

The little Otaku called for whoever was outside to come in, but they didn't, so Konata rose up, and headed to her bedroom door. Somehow she had locked the door without realizing it, and Konata opened the door to see a very tired and grumpy Yutaka, who said, "Onee-chan, it's time to get up...oh..."

The smaller girl stared, unable to comprehend in her tiredness why Konata was already wearing her school uniform, but it slowly dawned on her that she was dreaming, and there was no way Konata was ready to go this early. Konata's little cousin brushed past her into the room, and slowly crawled into the bed, before resuming her peaceful slumber.

Konata was left shaking in indecision. There were so many possibilities for entertainment. She could go hide Yutaka's school uniforms, it would be incredible to see the smaller girl dashing around looking for them in the last minutes before they had to leave. Konata took a step out of her door while considering that option, but as she took a couple more steps into the hall towards Yutaka's room, Kagami's voice said to her, "C'mon Kona. That's so childish. Just wake her up, and then you guys can do something fun together before going to school."

"But Kagamin...," thought Konata to herself, "I can't pass up a chance like this. Besides Yu-chan is so cute when she's grumpy in the morning. Have you ever seen anger coming from such a cute form? It's so much moe it's hard to not just grab her, hug her, and stick her on a shelf for decoration. I would totally buy a figma with Yu-chan's mean face."

Kagami's voice responded, "Okay...I didn't even understand half of what you said there, but no buts. This is your chance to do something nice for someone who took care of you while you were sick."

Kona said aloud, "Awwww...I was really looking forward to that too."

The small girl headed into her room to awaken the even smaller girl, conceding to her girlfriend's disembodied nagging. Konata gently shook Yutaka awake, saying, "Rise and shine Yu-chan, time to get ready for school."

The smaller girl blinked sleepily, but this time she realized that she wasn't dreaming, and got out of Konata's bed. After she rubbed her eyes for a few seconds the grumpy sleepy face was replaced by Yutaka's usually cute smile, and she said, "Good morning Onee-chan. I stayed up late last night talking with Minami-chan the whole time she was on her trip home."

Konata hurried Yutaka off towards her room, and glanced longingly back at her computer which was waiting at the login screen for her favorite MMO. Then the blue haired girl headed downstairs, and began scrambling some eggs, and cooking bacon. She had considered making some Ramen up, but decided against it since bacon and eggs took less preparation.

It wasn't very long after the cooking was completed that Yutaka came downstairs dressed in her winter uniform, and looking like her usual bright self. Kona called her cousin into the kitchen, where they sat and chatted idly while they ate. Konata was telling Yutaka about some new animes that were part of the next season's release, and how she wished she had time to watch them all. Yutaka mainly talked about how great Minami was at everything, and their plans to hang out over the weekend.

In this manner the time passed quickly before the two girls washed their dishes, grabbed the lunches Konata had prepared the night before, and headed out the door for the train station. Konata was really looking forward to seeing Kagami, and despite herself was actually glad to be getting out of the house, even for school purposes. The only time she had left the house since her recovery had been for the picnic the day before, and Konata was getting restless with only the same walls to stare at every minute of every day.

It was a clear sunny day, and despite the unusual warmth and weather that had dominated much of the late autumn, some of the chill signifying the ever close winter was prevalent in the air. The two girls quickly approached the station, both looking forward to seeing all of their friends. If Konata had remembered to bring her cell phone she would have gotten a call as soon as she got to the station from Nanako, wondering if she had gotten ready on time.

The train wasn't very crowded, and the two cousins were easily able to get a seat next to each other. They would also have room for Tsukasa and Kagami to get next to them at the next stop. Once in the heated car with the relaxing motions of their transportation though, the two small girls couldn't help but fall asleep.

The first thing Konata noticed as her consciousness came back was how soft the shape she was resting on was. It was very warm as well. She felt a firm grip around her stomach, and instantly knew Kagami was holding her. Annoyance was the first thing Konata could feel. She didn't try to break Kagami's grip since she didn't want the tsundere to let go of her, but Konata folded her arms, and pouted, causing Kagami to giggle, and ask, "What's the matter Kona? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

Kona eyed Kagami, and said, "You wouldn't let me play a prank on Yu-chan. Get out of my head."

The older twin looked confused, and genuinely expressed this by saying, "What?"

This caused Kona to sigh in an annoyed manner, making it look like Kagami should understand perfectly well what was happening, and said, "Never mind Kagami, just hold me."

The confused Tsundere didn't understand at all, but she was more than happy to do as Konata had said, and she gripped her little girlfriend firmly, making sure Konata was in a comfortable position. Once she was resting comfortably against Kagami, the little Otaku said, "Good morning Tsukasa. Nice to see you."

"Hey, what about me?", said an annoyed Kagami.

"I didn't forget about you Kagamin.", said Konata, reaching up to gently squeeze Kagami's hand on the arm that wasn't holding the blue haired girl. Kagami smiled, and squeezed back, delighting Konata, and raising a heat in the smaller girl that abolished any thoughts of relaxing against Kagami, and sleeping until they got to their stop.

Tsukasa smiled brightly, and said, "Good morning Kona-chan. I'm really glad you're well enough to come back to school."

Konata managed to stutter out a distracted, "Yeah."

She was wrapped up in the sensations of how Kagami's body felt against her own. Kona was leaning over to her left with her head resting on Kagami's lap while Kagami let her right arm droop over the blue haired girl's stomach so as to not let her fall from the seat as the train rocked. The Otaku could feel her Tsundere's soft squishy belly, and for some reason it made her want to kiss it.

Even the thought of the shape of Kagami's legs, which were serving as a pillow for Kona drove the blue haired girl crazy. Konata was glad she wasn't facing Kagami since she didn't want her red face to be noticed by the younger girl. She still wasn't used to being embarrassed about much, and yet she could feel her face heating up every time she was this close to Kagami.

Konata even shuddered lightly when she felt her girlfriend begin to lightly stroke her hair. She was surprised, and almost startled when Kagami asked, "Hey Kona, why are you being so quiet?"

The little Otaku responded, "No reason. I guess it's still a little hard to believe is all."

The Tsundere answered, "What's hard to believe? Is something wrong?"

Konata was silent for a few moments. She looked around the cart, and noticed a couple people looking in their direction, but their looks weren't of disgust and anger. One lady actually smiled at them before glancing away. She probably thought the two were just really close friends. Yutaka, and Tsukasa were chatting about something Konata wasn't interested in listening to at the moment. All she could think of seriously were herself, and the girl who was holding her.

Then Kona said, "I feel weird Kagamin."

"Weird how? Is it a bad feeling?", asked the concerned Tsundere.

"No. Actually it feels really nice," Konata trailed off again for a few moments before continuing to say, "If I were to describe it. I guess I would ask you if you know how your stomach feels after eating a big bowl of hot soup when you're sick? You feel bloated a little, but really warm inside, and it's really comfortable?"

Kagami smiled, not sure what amusing avenue of thought Konata was exploring this time, and she played along, wondering where the punchline would come in. The older twin responded, "Yeah, I think I know what you mean. Go on."

Kona then said, "Well it's kind of like that. I feel warm. A little tingly too. I never felt like this before Kagamin, and it's a little scary. I keep thinking this is just a dream, and I'm going to wake up any minute all by myself again."

At this point Kagami could hear real worry coming into Konata's voice. She knew her little girlfriend was dead serious at the moment. Kagami stopped stroking Konata's hair in order to hold her hand again, and she squeezed it reassuringly as Konata continued, "Doesn't everything seem too perfect? Everyone is still happy, even though we're together. I mean you're a shrine maiden, and you're with me, a girl. Doesn't your dad dislike that or something? None of our friends left us, they didn't call us freaks, or even act like our relationship is weird or anything."

Kagami tightened her grip on Kona, and said, "Do you think our relationship is weird Kona?"

"No.", replied Konata immediately, "There's nothing weird about being with someone you love, right?"

Kagami relaxed, and smiled, saying, "That's right. Don't worry about it, okay? You're just so used to thinking of yourself as alone that it feels weird to know that so many people love you just for being who you are. As far as any weird feelings go, Let me say I'm still not used to being in a relationship either. It's really strange to suddenly find someone is so close to me, and I can talk about anything I want whenever I want with you, and not have to worry about what anyone thinks of it. Just give it a little time Kona, I'm sure that soon you'll enjoy how you feel. After all, there isn't anything better than knowing someone loves you, and you'll never be alone, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right.", said Konata, ending the conversation on that topic as she sat up. The blue haired girl smiled brightly at Kagami once she was sitting on her own, and said, "You know how when you're at school or work, and you keep on checking the clock, it barely moves at all, but when you're at home like in the hour before you have to go do something, every time you check it seems like ten or fifteen minutes have passed? I always wished the time when you're enjoying yourself before something you're not really wanting would drag out instead of the thing you're dreading itself."

With that line, things went back to normal, and the tense mood between Konata and Kagami were dropped, as they let their worries flow out of them, determined only to enjoy the time they spent with each other, and with their friends. It was in this manner the rest of the trip to school passed very quickly, and it only seemed a few minutes later that they were meeting Miyuki in the schoolyard, and heading up to class.

Konata and Kagami stopped in the hallway before they parted outside of Ms. Kuroi's classroom, and Konata said, "See you at lunch I guess. I really wish we had been in the same class."

"Yeah. It's for the best though,", responded Kagami giving her girlfriend a little smile, and continuing, "If we were in the same class I don't think I'd be able to focus on learning. Anyways, see you later."

With that Kagami reluctantly walked away from Konata, it felt odd leaving her for some reason. They had done that same thing for years now, but since Kagami was wanting to spend as much time with Kona as she could, the parting seemed to weigh more heavily on her.

She began to count the minutes until lunchtime when she could see Konata again. Kagami was pulled from her counting only a couple minutes later as she entered her own classroom, and was welcomed by a booming voice calling out, "Oi Hiiragi! How ya doin'?"

Kagami smiled, glad to see Misao, and of course Ayano was standing next to the fanged girl, smiling, and she gave Kagami a much quieter good morning welcome. Kagami took her seat quickly, as she answered, "I'm actually doing really well this morning. Konata's back in school, we finished her catch up work, and even homework yesterday. So now everything is back to normal."

Misao gave Kagami a knowing grin, and said, "Normal, eh? I didn't know normal meant you two were going out on dates."

Kagami turned red as a couple people turned to look, attracted to Misao's comment. Kagami gave Misao an angry scowl, and said quietly as she covered the other girl's mouth, "Keep quiet will you? We haven't even had our first date yet, and I don't want everyone to know about it until I'm sure she's ready."

Kagami quickly pulled her hands away from the fanged girl's mouth as she felt something wet and slippery moving against her hands, and Misao cackled happily as Kagami looked disgusted, and said, "Ew. Grow up will you?"

Misao smiled at Kagami, and said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I may not seem like it, but I'm a champion of secret keeping. Why I remember when me and Ayano here were twelve years old, and she accidentally wet herself at school. I let her have my underwear for the day because she was scared someone would notice, and I never told anyone, I really wanted to tell, but I held out because she's my friend."

Kagami groaned as Ayano turned pale as a couple people chuckled around them. Still, she could tell Misao was just trying to make her happy, and the Tsundere said, "Thanks guys. I knew I could count on you. Are you two joining us for lunch again today?"

This time it was Ayano's turn to speak, she seemed to have already gotten over her embarrassment from Misao's statement, so it couldn't have been all that bad to have her secret revealed. Ayano cheerily answered, "Yes. We'd enjoy that very much. It'll also be nice to see Izumi-san back."

Misao brightened up when she heard Ayano's answer, and said, "Oh yeah, if she made you something special for lunch, can I have it? You told me she's a really good cook, and since I've been working so hard lately I feel like I need a treat."

The other two girls just stared at Misao for a few moments before sighing, and beginning to get out their school materials from their bags. Still Kagami couldn't help but smile inwardly. Despite being rambunctious and often times annoying, Kagami could always count on Misao to lighten up an otherwise completely boring class. Besides that, she was proving more and more lately that she was a good and dedicated friend.

Even when she had revealed Ayano's secret without thinking, Kagami couldn't help but remember how Misao had solved the problem. If the situation had involved Kagami, she certainly wouldn't have given up her underwear, the thought would have never crossed her mind. More and more since hearing Konata's story about being all alone, she had come to realize how lucky she was to have so many close friends, and a large family that loved her.

Kagami wanted to make sure Kona knew she was loved. The Tsundere promised herself she'd find some way to make it apparent to her little Otaku that even if Kagami wasn't there for her, Konata would always be loved. For the moment though, the lesson was beginning, and Kagami needed to focus on that. After all, she rationalized that if she couldn't do something worthwhile in school, and secure her future, there was no way Kagami could be the one to take care of Konata.

Lunch time took an eternity to roll around for Konata. She couldn't sleep because Ms. Kuroi was watching her like a hawk. Ever since she had recovered, both Nanako and Kagami had really focused a lot on Konata's studies. It was driving the little Otaku crazy because it took away so much time from anime and games.

Even so, Konata was really happy. She could tell that both of them really cared about her, and she would work hard not to let them down. Konata reasoned that it would still be okay to go a couple nights a week without doing homework though, so there was no need for both of them to keep pressing so hard.

Konata's mind kept flashing back to when she had first entered the classroom after parting with Kagami. Kona had walked in, and Nanako was already there, which was odd since Konata was actually early for class. Kona had been called over by her teacher as soon as she entered, and of course, Konata approached.

"You doing alright?", Nanako had asked her, concern was obvious on her face.

Kona felt happy, after all this woman was practically her mother now, and she was worrying about Konata. The blue haired girl smiled, and said, "Yeah."

Nanako saw the girl she cared so much for smiling, and smiled back, saying, "Alright then. Just don't let me catch you slacking since you're well now. We've got to get your grades up, and have you ready for the entrance exams. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be brutal over the next couple months. I know how smart you are, and I'm not going to let it go to waste, understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah.", replied Konata in an annoyed manner causing Nanako to smirk at her.

The teacher then asked, "Also, are we still on for that raid tomorrow night? I can't do it without a decent tank, so you'd better not bail."

Kona's face lit up at the mention of their game, and said, "Oh yeah, you know it girl. It's going to be epic. Gatongo is bringing half his clan, there's no way I'd miss that."

Nanako then replied, "Good. I'll give you tomorrow's homework assignment tonight too, so you can be free tomorrow."

"Nah, that's okay, we can just pretend I did the assignment, and you can have half my loot below seventh tier.", responded Konata.

Kuroi laughed aloud, and replied, "As if I'd consider that for less than ninth tier...I mean...No deal, I'm not letting you slide on your studies anymore, you're going to make something of yourself, and I won't put up with any arguments."

The conversation had ended there with Konata letting out an aggravated sigh, she wasn't going to be able to weasel her way out of studying anymore since Kagami now seemed to refuse to just give her all the answers. They actually worked through the material, and if Konata didn't know better she would say Kagami was enjoying depriving the smaller girl of her anime time.

Konata was suddenly hit by a wave of warmth spreading through her though, and she mumbled quietly, "Thanks a lot."

Kona had always secretly wanted someone to buckle down on her, and make her study, and do homework. She had stopped doing her work in junior high, hoping it would earn her some attention, and maybe someone who actually cared about her. Now she had Nanako to do that for her, and Kagami was more than willing to make sure the little Otaku didn't slack off when the blonde woman wasn't around.

As if on cue, Konata's thoughts of Kagami seemed to summon her to the room, and trailing behind her was none other than Misao and Ayano. The blue haired girl was pulled from her serious thoughts at the sight of her girlfriend, and waved the bigger girl over. Kona was a little surprised that Misao and Ayano were joining them for lunch, but as she thought about it, what was more surprising was that they hadn't all been eating lunch together since they were first years.

After all, any friend Kagami had, was a friend of Konata's. The three girls took their seats, and began pulling out their lunches while the three girls who were already prepared to eat waited politely for everyone to have their meals out before starting. Misao broke their silence by saying, "Oi chibi. Good to see you back. I was starting to think you were gone for good."

Annoyance was evident on Kona's face, and Misao's comment earned her a pop on the back of the head from Kagami. Kona smirked as Misao sulked from her punishment, and said, "Hey guys, glad to see you two here. What made you suddenly start coming over to join us?"

Ayano was the one to answer, "Well, we've been friends with all of you for a while now, it just seemed odd that Hiiragi-san always eats lunch with you, and we don't come with her."

"Yeah, I could see that.", responded the Otaku.

Tsukasa then said, "Yeah, it's really nice to have more people around because we can think of a lot more things to talk about, right?"

Everyone brightened up at Tsukasa's comment, and yet nobody said anything. For a few moments nobody said anything, as an awkward silence settled over the group just to spite Tsukasa. The silence was broken by Misao, who said, "I wanna talk about Hiiragi, and the midget."

Kagami responded loudly, "Why do we have to talk about that?"

Misao replied even louder making it seem as if she thought it was a contest, "Well, in case you haven't noticed, the romance department is kind of dead for the rest of us."

Konata playfully jabbed, "What's the matter Kagamin? Are you embarrassed of us?"

People were looking at them as Kagami turned red. The attention didn't dissipate when Misao asked Konata, "So, is she a good kisser?"

The little Otaku responded immediately, "I don't know, she's only kissed my neck, she usually just likes to bite. I don't really understand it myself."

Kagami somehow turned even more red at the thought of biting the lobes of Kona's ears. She really wished she could do that right then, no matter how much talking about it in public embarrassed her. She wasn't embarrassed about their relationship. Kagami had no intention of ever hiding her love for Konata, but there was also no reason to go flaunting it everywhere since most people were really conservative on that sort of thing. The conversation itself was inconsiderate of the people around them.

Miyuki then joined the conversation, saying, "Perhaps Kagami-san is trying to assert her dominance in the relationship? I've heard that some animals do that. It could be an instinct that hasn't quite died out."

"M-Miyuki, not you too!, sputtered Kagami. Now wishing she were anywhere but in the classroom.

Ayano watched the conversation unfold with a tiny smile, and Tsukasa joined in saying, "This morning Kona-chan was asleep on the train, and Sis didn't want to wake her up because she wanted to be Kona-chan's pillow. It was really cute."

Misao giggled happily when she heard that, and said, "Awww...That's really sweet."

Kagami almost couldn't hear the words of the conversation anymore. The blood rushing through her face was the entire world for the moment. The Tsundere couldn't take much more of this conversation before she would need to open a window for air or something. At least not before she felt something warm and small resting on her lap.

Konata had moved her hand to rest on the upper part of Kagami's knee. The older twin looked down into her girlfriend's smiling face, and her blush disappeared instantly. Talking about their relationship with friends was obviously making Kona happy, so there was no way Kagami could deny her something so simple. The little Otaku squeezed Kagami's knee reassuringly, and Kagami said to all of them, "I guess I can't help it. I really love her, you know?"

Kagami felt like she could die from the happiness she felt as Konata wrapped her arms around Kagami's left arm, and leaned against the Tsundere. This closeness was something she had craved ever since the first time Konata had held her, and it made everything better. It suddenly dawned on Kagami that she was surrounded by her good friends, while her lover made it clear she wanted to be close, and Kagami couldn't help but feel like the moment couldn't get any better than that.

The tsundere girl was right, it couldn't get any better because at that moment Nanako shouted, "Hey you two! PDA is against school rules, either go where no one is watching, or save it for later!"

The two girls reluctantly broke contact while Konata stopped to glare daggers at Kuroi who didn't seem to notice as she was busy writing something.

With their conversation topic sort of exhausted, the girls focused on their lunches in the few minutes remaining, and then said their farewells to each other. The rest of the school day passed in a blur for Kona, she couldn't get Kagami out of her head. She wanted to be held again, she wanted have her earlobes nibbled. She wanted Kagami to pin her down, and take their first kiss by force.

The bigger girl drove her crazy when they were so close. How was Konata supposed to focus on schoolwork, when she had a girlfriend like Kagami to occupy her thoughts? She imagined Kagami doing all sorts of things to her, but even more than that, she wanted to feel the security her Tsundere gave to her.

If Kagami was around then nothing could ever hurt Kona. The bigger girl was ferocious and strong, and she made Konata feel safe and loved. The little Otaku craved for that feeling every second she was away from the older twin. To feel her girlfriend's strong arms wrapped around her was nothing short of bliss. Kona didn't even care that Kagami always wanted to be so dominating, honestly she was happy, and more than a little touched that she could invoke so much passion in her lover.

Once Konata was in the schoolyard, waiting for Kagami, Tsukasa said to her, "Well, I think I'll be going on ahead, so you two can get some alone time."

The younger twin started to walk away, but Konata said to her, "You don't have to do that Tsukasa. Sure I like being alone with Kagami, but you're my friend, and Kagami's little sister so there's nothing wrong with you staying. Besides that, this is the first day I've seen you since I got better, you can't just go running off."

Tsukasa was obviously pleased by Kona's words, and Kagami also didn't ask Tsukasa to leave them alone when she arrived. They all went their usual route home, talking and laughing just like they always did.

Once they boarded their train, Kagami asked Konata, "Hey, are you coming over to study tonight?"

The blue haired girl replied, "No, I think I'm going to catch up on some gaming. I'll make sure to call you later though. Maybe you can give me some help over the phone."

Tsukasa giggled as Kagami replied, "You mean you want me to tell you the answers after you've wasted the whole night playing games."

Konata whined at her girlfriend, "But Kagamiiin, this is something important that only you can do for me. I need you."

The little Otaku punctuated her statement by hugging Kagami's arm, and putting on her best pleading face. She grinned inwardly because she could see the battle raging in Kagami's mind on whether or not she would agree to this. As usual the outcome was a sigh from her Tsundere, and the reply, "Fine, but you owe me, so remember it."

Konata immediately stopped her acting now that she had what she wanted, this mannerism had always annoyed Kagami. Then Kona said, "I'll make it up to you. How about we spend Saturday together, just doing some fun things?"

Kagami's eyes widened, and her stomach tightened, apparently so did her brain because she was stuttering. All of a sudden the Tsundere's sweat glands were going crazy, and she was nervous. Finally she managed to say quietly, "Are you asking me out Kona?"

The little Otaku kissed Kagami's cheek quickly, and then said with a tiny blush, "Yeah. Are you free?"

The older twin just wanted to scream with delight at how cute her blushing Konata was. Without reserve Kagami pulled Konata in close, and held her tightly, saying, "Of course I am. It's going to be great."

Tsukasa was smiling at the moment, really happy that her older sister, and her best friend were so happy together. She piped up, "Yeah, and I can even help you pick out something pretty to wear, sis."

Kagami turned her head to Tsukasa, and said, "Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course Onee-chan.", replied Tsukasa still smiling.

Konata pulled away from Kagami reaching for her school bag, while saying, "Good. I was going to ask you to help with her outfit anyways Tsukasa, but since you offered I'd like to request that you watch the animes I have listed here. I already wrote down the episode numbers down so you don't have to worry about watching the whole thing. Hopefully watching those should give you some ideas for Kagami's outfit."

As the little Otaku was speaking she dug through her bag, and retrieved a paper which she handed to Tsukasa. They didn't have time to discuss the list further since the train was stopping where Tsukasa and Kagami had to disembark. Konata accompanied them to the door, while holding Kagami's hand. As Kagami stepped off the train though, Kona pulled her back suddenly, and hugged her. Kagami was surprised for a moment, but she quickly relaxed, and wrapped her own arms around her girlfriend.

The little Otaku whispered, "I'll miss you."

To which the Tsundere responded, "Yeah, me too. Bye Kona."

The two girls released each other, and stepped back as the doors closed. Once more Konata couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such a great girlfriend. Kona watched longingly as her vision of Kagami slid slowly away when the train started moving, and soon she returned to her seat trembling with excitement, and anticipation for her first date.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter seemed pretty easy to type up, the main reason I guess is because nothing really happened. I wanted this to be a slow mellow chapter to focus on what an ordinary day at school would be like for Konata and Kagami once they were together. I did set the stage for the next phase of the story though, hopefully this didn't bore your heads off.

As far as this taking I think ten days to get out, I'm very sorry for the wait, but between having to put in 60 hours at the butcher shop and rehearsals for Cyrano De Bergerac, I've barely had any time at all to work on this. Seeing as how one of my coworkers is going on vacation tomorrow, and I'm covering most of his shifts while he's gone, though, the next chapter might take a little while too. Hopefully not as long as this one though.

As always I really appreciate the words of wisdom and inspiration you've given me, and I hope you continue to offer them for as long as I continue writing. Also please point out any weaknesses in my writing style you may see, as every comment helps make this a better story.


	24. Dinner for Three!

Chapter 24 Dinner for Three!

The excitement didn't fade away, nor did the anticipation that Kona felt. She was really looking forward to her date with Kagami. The little Otaku relaxed against her seat feeling the train rock slowly back and forth. Yu-chan wasn't there to keep her company since she was headed somewhere with Hiyori and Minami.

Ideas for what she could do to make Kagami happy were rushing through her head. The first thing Konata figured was that they probably shouldn't go to any anime and game stores. Probably no arcades either, but then again, so far they had only decided to have fun, so the arcade might be okay if Kagami agreed to it. Kona considered maybe planning a route that passed one, and see if an excuse to go in appeared.

The small girl had suggested the idea casually despite how nervous she had felt, and yet indecision still plagued her, and Kona knew Kagami hated going out without some sort of plan. Konata was so absorbed in her thoughts that she nearly missed her stop, and would have if it weren't for the fact that some old guy who always caught the train at the same time, hadn't asked if it was her stop they were at.

She sprinted out the door just in time, and was concerned for a moment that her bag might catch in the door. As Konata made it to the platform though, she remembered her game waiting at home, and rushed off.

The house was quiet as Konata entered, and it seemed she was alone. Kona slipped out of her shoes, and headed upstairs to her room in order to drop her schoolbag, and change into some comfortable shorts and a shirt with a cute panda on the front that had been a gift from her father a few years before.

Once comfortable, Konata turned to her computer which was still at the login screen for her game, and was logged on in moments, to receive a barrage of welcomes from her regular gaming buddies. Soon the small girl was clicking rapidly, and clacking keys furiously as she casually hummed to herself in her normal matter.

The game served as a great distraction for Konata since she wasn't worried about focusing on planning a date, or doing homework, or how far away from Kagami she was right then. Even so, after nearly an hour straight of playing her eyelids began to droop, and a headache started to form. This wasn't so unusual though, and Konata quickly opened her bag of candy, and popped some gummy candies into her mouth to relieve the symptoms.

Another half hour passed though, and the headache didn't go away, so Konata sighed, and grumbled as she signed off, not wanting to stare at her screen any longer. It was at this time, she decided that it would be best to get something to eat, and she headed downstairs for some instant ramen.

Kona heated the water to pour into the ramen cup, and then left it to sit on the counter while she checked the listings to see if anything good was playing on television. As it turns out they were having a Haruhi marathon, showing the whole season two without interruption. Sure, not only had she seen the whole thing before, and had the DVD to watch it anytime, but the little Otaku noticed that the endless eight was just closing, and it was time for the good stuff, so Kona sat down, and became absorbed in the show which was playing without commercial interruption.

Four episodes in, Konata remembered the instant Ramen, and dashed to the kitchen. Her ramen cup was still there with the lid down, and she peeled the paper back to reveal a bunch of soggy noodles. Thinking to herself, "There's still hope," Kona grabbed some chopsticks, and got some noodles in her grasp.

The noodles entered her mouth, and were expelled with a sound of disgust. No flavor, and they just felt weird and nasty since they were so soft. Konata dropped the whole cup in the garbage can, and headed back up to her room. The Haruhi marathon had grown tiresome after she realized that she was speaking the lines in her head right before they were said on screen, and the amusement she had felt at being right or close had faded quickly.

Kona entered her room, and glanced at her clock, thinking, "Where is everyone?"

She knew where Yutaka was, that wasn't a mystery, but she had no idea where her father had gone. The little Otaku hoped he wasn't doing anything Yui could arrest him for. Kona sat on her bed, and looked at her hands trembling, wondering why she was suddenly feeling so badly. As she gazed downwards a drop of water fell on her upturned palms, and the blue haired girl realized she was crying.

"Why isn't anyone here for me?" moaned Kona quietly shedding a few more tears.

This was the longest she had been all alone ever since she had recovered, and not having anyone near was scaring her. Konata thought worriedly that maybe they had finally all gone away. A lump appeared in her throat, and the Otaku fought it down. She lay back on her bed, and reached down between the top mattress and the wall, on the edge of the bed rail.

The blue haired girl felt the object there, and her tears faded. As long as it was there, Kagami had a reason to keep coming back to her, and that made everything okay. At least a part of Kona thought that. Most of her screamed at herself for being so childish, she knew Kagami loved her, and would always come back to her. Everyone couldn't just spend every minute of every single day making sure she didn't feel a little lonely.

Konata flipped Kagami's cellphone open, but didn't turn it on. She had turned it off right after Kagami had left her, that way when Kagami got back she wouldn't have to charge it before she saw all of Konata's messages. Kona sniffed loudly as she looked over the small object, and considered calling Kagami so she wouldn't feel so lonely. Maybe she would even work up enough courage to part with the cellphone, and the security it gave to her.

After all, it was the only thing she had of Kagami's, the only thing that made her feel closer to her girlfriend when she was far away. Kona decided to put it back in it's safe place, not yet ready to part with it. As she returned it to her hiding spot, a voice said behind her, "What are you doing? Did you drop something back there."

The little Otaku started, and turned quickly to see her teacher standing there in the doorway. Konata hadn't heard her come in. She stuttered, and quickly lied, "Yeah, I thought I dropped a manga down there, but I couldn't find it, so I guess not."

The lie was feeble, and honestly the blue haired girl couldn't even understand why she was lying, but she wasn't risking losing Kagami's cellphone quite yet. Instead she said happily, hoping Nanako wouldn't notice how serious she had been a few moments ago, "So what are you doing here teach?"

Her ruse appeared to be a success because Nanako smiled, and said, "I came over to see you. Also I wanted to make sure you did that homework. If you need help I'll be more than happy to explain the material to you again."

Konata groaned loudly. She didn't need this during the time she wanted to just relax, but at the same time she was happy her teacher had come to see her. The blue haired girl responded, "You could always just slip me an answer key you know. You don't have to give me the answers, you can just 'forget' them lying around somewhere like my computer desk."

Nanako laughed loudly and grinned, saying, "Yeah, right. I enjoy loading all my students up with homework, there's no way I'm dimming that pleasure."

Kona thought to herself, "She's kinda cruel."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Konata's stomach rumbled as she remembered her failed noodle experience. She chuckled to herself, thinking of Kagami, and Nanako brightened up as she said, "Yeah, it's just about supper time, right? How about we eat something before we get started on that homework?"

Despite not wanting to get started on the homework because that would give her one less reason to talk to Kagami, the little Otaku couldn't turn down a meal. Ramen wasn't going to cut it, she needed supper, and soon her father would be home, and maybe Yutaka so it was best to just go ahead and cook. The blonde woman was already standing, and motioned for Konata to follow her as she left the younger girl's room.

Kona quickly followed her teacher into the kitchen, and asked her, "So what do you want me to make for supper?"

"Eh?" came Kuroi's response. Then after a few moments, she said, "That's right, you can cook. I was planning on making supper."

The Blonde woman took a step back as Konata's eye's sparkled, and she said loudly, "Sensei! You can cook?"

The older woman felt a little annoyed at the comment, and responded, "Yeah, I told you I was joking about not cooking at school, remember?"

The little Otaku put her hand to her chin, and thought in silence for a few seconds before snapping her finger, smiling, and saying, "Oh yeah. I remember that now, but..."

Kona trailed off, and a little more annoyance entered Kuroi's voice as she responded, "But what? Why is there always a but?"

The blue haired girl grinned as she said, "I thought it was more like you were joking about being joking."

"Hey you!" grumbled Nanako, raising a threatening fist.

Konata closed her eyes expecting the hit to come any moment, but was surprised when it didn't. Instead when she opened her eyes, Nanako was looking through the refrigerator. She said to Konata without facing her, "I have to see what all you have here before I decide what to make."

Konata watched her teacher going through the cabinets, and nodding to herself, and felt nervous. She didn't understand why she was getting nervous about asking a simple question, but still, the first few times she tried to say it her voice wouldn't come out. Eventually she gathered herself, and focused on getting Nanako's attention.

Kona walked over to the older woman, and tugged on the long sleeve of her white dress shirt, causing Nanako to turn around and smile at her, asking, "Yeah, what is it?"

Konata then said quietly, not quite meeting her teacher's eyes, "Hey...is it alright if we make dinner together?"

Kuroi looked down at Konata, and for the first time noticed her eyes were red. The girl had obviously been crying about something before. Now she looked nervous, and reminded Nanako of a little kid, asking something they weren't quite sure was okay to ask about. The older woman patted Kona's head without thinking about it, and Konata made an annoyed face at the gesture, thinking her height was being insulted. Still, Kuroi smiled, and said, "Yeah, sure, I bet it'll be fun. I'll get a chance to see how well you handle yourself in the kitchen too."

This caused the blue haired girl to smile happily, and take the lead since she was more familiar with her own kitchen. She went for some pots and pans, and quickly had some rice in the steamer to go with whatever they decided to cook.

With the rice steaming, the two women decided it was time to pick ingredients. Kona had never cooked alongside anyone besides Tsukasa before, and it was a little odd having Nanako deciding what would go best with the things Konata picked out. The little Otaku enjoyed the closeness very much though. She hadn't even thought about how lonely she had been before since first talking to her teacher.

Still, she was being watched expectantly now, and it was time to perform. Kona selected some pork cutlets, and threw them onto a skillet after preparing them to be fried. She kept them moving constantly, not wanting any part to stick and be charred. Nanako watched Kona's motions closely, and said, "It'll cook faster if you let it sit for a few moments before moving them. It won't burn instantly."

After saying this, Nanako took some cabbage, and began shredding it. Thinking it would be a great topping for the pork cutlets, and they could make Tonkatsu after they added a little of the rice Kona was steaming. Soon it was put together with the rice, and Konata added some curry powder after separating the rice into halves.

Now they had Tonkatsu with two pork cutlets for each person, mixed with shredded cabbage, and Curry Rice. Konata stood over the meal grinning, and said, "Yeah, now that looks good."

Nanako smirked, and replied, "Yeah, it looks pretty nice, but step outta the way, and I'll show you what I can do."

Kuroi's instrument of choice was the griddle rather than the stove. It was a large griddle, although rarely used since Konata hardly ever had any reason to pull it down since she could whip up most things faster in a frying skillet. Nanako, however, eyed the thing with glee.

The blonde woman took the shrimp she had been eying out of the freezer, and put them in a strainer in the sink, running cold water over them, and starting their thawing process. The older woman left the water running over them as she mixed together some flour water, and a couple eggs. After mixing everything together, she added a bit of milk, and started mixing in the shrimp and all the leftover cabbage, and shaping it into small pancake shapes.

Konata was confused a little, and asked, "Hey, why did you add the milk? I understand the eggs help form it, but once the eggs are in, all you need is water to get the texture done."

Nanako responded without letting her focus shift from what she was working on, "The milk doesn't really add any flavor or texture, but if you add some milk in about halfway through the mixing, it'll make the end result more fluffy, which is something I love."

Konata nodded, and stored the information in the back of her mind for future use. Konata couldn't help but stare in wonder at the way Nanako moved so easily through the kitchen, almost like it was the environment she was naturally meant for. Every move she made seemed to have some purpose for making her food more delicious looking, and yet she seemed so relaxed, and casual, almost like she did this every day.

Kona asked her, "Hey, where did you learn to cook like this?"

Nanako didn't answer for a moment since she was flipping the pancake shapes onto the griddle where they began sizzling. The blonde woman said while going to fetch a pack of bacon to throw on the griddle next to the pancake shapes mixed with cabbage and shrimp, "Oh, this? My mom and I used to do this all the time. She wanted to make sure I knew how to cook, so every week she'd pull me away from my games, and we'd make a meal together. It used to aggravate me a lot, but now I can see why she enjoyed the time so much. You should see her in the kitchen sometime though, she makes me look like a little kid."

Konata nodded throughout the answer, thinking she had missed something important in there, but she was too wrapped up in this complicated looking dish Nanako was making look easy. As the cooking nearly finished, Kuroi flipped the bacon off the griddle surface, and onto the shrimp pancakes. The smell was driving Konata crazy since it smelled so delicious it had her stomach rumbling every few seconds.

Konata remembered this dish once she got a better look as Nanako began putting each of the pancakes onto a large plate. The bacon had cooked into the surface of the pancakes at this point. Nanako happily explained, "Okonomiyaki. It looks really complicated once it's finished, but it's actually pretty easy to make."

With that Nanako pulled one of the cakes to the side, and put some white icing in waves across it. After she finished, the blonde woman put her hands on her hips, and laughed, showing off her fang, and making Kona giggle at how childish her teacher was. Kuroi said, "I always like it better once I get some more sweetness into it. A lot of people think that's weird though."

Nanako stopped chuckling for a moment as she looked over the meal they had made together, and said, "This is no good."

Konata looked at her teacher worriedly, and said, "What's wrong with it?"

Nanako sighed, and said, "There's no balance. We each made a main dish, but the only side is enough plain white rice for each of us to have a little bowl. We need a good side dish."

Nanako thought for a moment, but Konata had an idea instantly. The blonde woman watched the little Otaku head over to the cabinets, and pull down a sack of potatoes. She pulled a few of them out, and set to peeling them. A few strokes of the knife in though, and Nanako took a hold of Kona's hands, and told her, "You're wasting too much peeling like this. Look here, angle the knife against the skin, and you'll take off more of the skin without wasting big chunks of the potato. Who taught you how to slice vegetables anyways?"

Nanako demonstrated using Konata's hands as she spoke, and Konata focused on doing as she was shown. Konata hesitated a moment before answering her teacher by saying, "I did."

The blonde woman mentally slapped herself, of course she hadn't had a proper cooking teacher. The smaller girl probably even felt like Kuroi was flaunting the relationship she had actually gotten to have with her mother as well. She made a mental note to make that slip up to Konata somehow.

Kuroi saw what Kona was up to with the potatoes, and immediately got some water boiling, and took out another three pork cutlets to mince up. Soon they had the potatoes boiled, and mashed, and mixed them into round shapes with the minced pork, before putting them into a pot of oil to deep fry.

The potato balls didn't take long at all to cook, and they made a great compliment to the white rice bowl prepared for everyone. Nanako gave the smaller girl a thumbs up, and said, "Good thinking. That finishes this meal perfectly."

Sojiro came into the house while the potato balls were frying, and didn't looked too surprised to see Nanako there. What did surprise him was the way little Kona was following right in the woman's steps, practically hanging onto her. He felt a mixture of excitement, and sadness when he saw Kuroi ruffle Konata's hair once they were done. The blue haired girl looked genuinely happy about the display of affection as well.

Still, he put on a happy face, and walked into the kitchen, greeting them happily. The light the blue haired man saw in his daughter's eyes was something he hadn't seen since she was a very small child. He half expected her to come running over for a big hug while yelling, "DADDY!"

His little angel stayed glued to the woman who had made herself more than welcome in their home though, and smiled expectantly at him, looking between him, and the meal the two had made. He put on a big grin, and said, "Wow! That looks great! It smells good too. How long have you been working on this?"

Kona answered, "For a little while now, and I learned to cook a new dish."

Sojiro walked over to them, while saying, "Sorry to say, but Yutaka isn't coming home tonight. She decided to stay over with Minami, and head to school with her tomorrow."

Nanako raised an eyebrow at the news, wondering if maybe Sojiro had accepted that a little easily, and said, "Doesn't she need to come back here for clothes?"

Konata's father responded, "She said she already has clean clothes for tomorrow, so she doesn't need to stop in."

Kona chuckled at this news, and said, "I bet she was planning this from this morning then. We may have to watch our sweet little Yu-chan, I think she's developing a devious side from being around you Dad."

Sojiro faked crying, and hugged Konata on his knees, saying, "You're always so brutal. I still love you though."

Sojiro felt happy as Konata instinctively wrapped her arms around her father, and hugged him back. The hug only lasted a moment before they parted, but Sojiro lived for the moments he could make Konata feel happy with his gestures of love.

The three moved to the table, and immediately began eating since they weren't waiting on Yutaka. Sojiro had Konata delighted by constantly commenting on how great everything was. Even Kuroi had a little blush from the praise the food was receiving. It was very good sure, but Konata could tell her dad was laying it on thick to make them happy.

The pancakes crunched, and the sweet taste of shrimp and the bitterness of the cabbage mixed together in Konata's mouth to create a very interesting, and enjoyable taste. It had been a very long time since Sojiro had felt this feeling of being complete. His daughter was happy to have found a woman she could look up to, and even though Sojiro was hit by a small bit of pain and worry that she might forget Kanata, he was much more happy that his daughter was finally experiencing the joy of having a completed family.

Nanako had brought more happiness into his home than he believed any single person other than Kanata could have. He knew that he would be eternally grateful for that. As the meal finished, Sojiro headed upstairs to prepare for a bath while Konata and Kuroi cleared the dishes. They played Janken to decide who would wash, and who would dry, and Konata lost, so she was doing the washing.

They were silent while washing the dishes, since Konata was focusing on cleansing every little spec of food from the plates, and any remnant of the drinks from the glasses they had used. The leftovers had been properly stored in the refrigerator, and Konata was looking forward to taking the remaining potato balls to lunch the next day to give to Kagami.

Suddenly Kona was grinning to herself as the water ran over the plate she was washing. She had an idea that could produce an interesting reaction. The blue haired girl quickly ran her hand through the water, and splashed some over towards Nanako, cackling happily. The blonde woman smirked, and said, "That's so childish, get back to washing."

Konata was a little disappointed, she had been hoping for a more extreme reaction like she would have gotten out of Kagami. Kuroi wasn't Kagami though, and it wouldn't do any good to confuse her feelings between the two most important women in her life. She loved them both, but the differences in the love became more apparent every day. For instance, Konata had no interest in what kind of underwear the blonde woman was wearing, but she would kill to see Kagami in cute teddy bear print panties.

Suddenly the water in the sink stopped flowing, and Konata felt something wet on top of her head spraying down. She quickly dove away as Kuroi laughed, holding the sprayer next to the faucet in the sink, saying happily, "You shouldn't start fights you can't win!"

On the outside Kona pouted, but on the inside her mind said, "Well played sensei, but I'll get you back, count on it."

Yet another big difference between the two women Konata loved had made itself apparent in Nanako's equally childish revenge. The two finished with the dishes without any more splashing incidents, and Nanako marched Konata up to her room, and began lecturing her about proper study habits.

The little Otaku whined back, "Sensei, you didn't have proper study habits when you were in school. Why should I?"

"Haha. I'm a teacher now, it doesn't matter that I think studying is lame, as long as I'm here, I'm going to make you do it," answered Kuroi, making Konata wish she was a little less blunt.

Still, the blonde woman managed to get Konata to open up her textbooks, which Nanako had personally fetched from Konata's locker apparently not worried about an invasion of privacy, and had Konata working hard on the history homework, occasionally giving extra information on a certain question that Konata struggled with.

After the history homework came mathematics. Kuroi eyed the problems on the page after Konata asked for help, and said, "I haven't done math since college, why would I know how to help you with this?"

In the end, Konata managed to work out most of the problems on her own since Nanako wouldn't let her call Kagami for the answers like she wanted to do. Konata was quickly becoming irritated with this die hard attitude on studying being received from the older woman, and eventually the smaller girl said, "Why do you enjoy torturing me with all this. I can pull all nighters before the test, and be fine. We should save grinding for the online games, it's really lame in real life."

Kuroi just let her hand rest on top of Konata's head for a moment before saying, "Look Konata. I know you can do something great with yourself. You're a sweet smart girl, and I don't want to see any of it going to waste. You've got the potential to have a really great job, and secure an epic computer, and all the latest games without much trouble. I don't want you to have to scrimp, and save like I do with the pittance I get as a teacher, that's for sure."

Konata smiled back at her teacher, honestly moved by the compliment, and the older woman being so open with her feelings, but she couldn't help but say, "Kagamin is going to study law. She's going to make a whole lot of money, so I don't see why I would have to do all that too. I figured I would take a few jobs to help her through college, and then she could support me once she starts raking in the big cash."

The blonde woman was silent for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I'd like to have someone supporting me again, it sure is nice. Still, isn't there anything you really want to do with yourself? A dream job to work for, something that'll help you focus more?"

Konata put down the last answer on her homework before saying, "I never really liked to think ahead to stuff like that. I was scared that after High School, I wouldn't have anyone anymore. Now that I think about being with Kagamin though, it comes into mind a lot more. I don't think college would do me much good. The only professions I really have considered seriously are things like being a video game tester, or a voice actress, I guess I'd like to write manga if I could. I have all kinds of ideas that would be really popular, I just know it."

Nanako smiled down at her student while she got wrapped up in talking about the things she'd possibly like to do with her life. Surprisingly she already seemed to be making plans on how to do them as well, and Nanako once again saw how intelligent Konata could really be when she put in some effort.

Konata stood up after putting away her homework into her schoolbag, and headed off to the bathroom with her pajamas in hand, ready to take her bath. Nanako on the other hand, headed towards the front door once Kona was preparing. She headed down the stairs, and towards the front door, but as she gripped the front doorknob, Nanako felt someone holding her left hand, and looked back to see Konata with a surprisingly serious face.

The blue haired girl looked up to Kuroi, and said quietly, "Don't go sensei...please?"

The last bit was obviously a question asking her to stay. The blonde woman smiled down at Kona, and dropped to her knees hugging the smaller girl close, and with a strength that surprised Konata. The older woman said, "Don't worry. I'm just going to get some clothes out of my car for tomorrow."

Konata smiled up happily to her teacher, and said, "Okay, good."

The blue haired girl went back upstairs entering her bath while Nanako headed out to her car in order to grab the clothes she had brought. For sleeping that night, she would probably just wear the white t-shirt she had on under her dress shirt along with some green athletic shorts she had brought. For tomorrow she had some black slacks, and another dress shirt.

Kuroi headed back inside to see Sojiro sitting on the couch watching television. He was wearing his usual green robe, and he looked over at her surprised when she entered without knocking. He had probably thought she had left. Still he said, "Oh, are you staying over tonight?"

"Yeah," responded the teacher casually, not even considering the man might have a problem with her staying uninvited in his home.

He smiled at her, and said, "Hey, thanks a lot for spending time with her. It's never been easy for her growing up without a woman to look up to. I don't think she could get a much better role model either."

Kuroi didn't know what to say, the praise hadn't been expected, neither had the heartfelt seriousness with which it came. Usually this man was a perverted goofball, but it seemed he was more than capable of being serious if he wanted to. Nanako manged to say quietly, "Thanks."

The silence was awkward for a moment, and she felt uncomfortable for a few moments. Then Sojiro asked, "Hey, what are you wearing to bed?"

Nanako felt the blood drain from her face, and quickly hurried up the stairs without answering. Leaving a confused Sojiro to think he had better not think of offering her a spare robe again.

Kuroi waited in Kona's room until the smaller girl finished her bath, then she got one of her own. Kona waited for her to get out, all the while thinking maybe she should call Kagami, but decided against it. She would test herself, and see if she could handle going a night without calling her girlfriend. Konata hoped she wouldn't wake up at two in the morning needing to call the older twin, but she knew even if she did, Kagami would just comfort her.

Soon Nanako returned from her bath, and entered looking very refreshed in her green shorts and T-shirt. The blonde woman stored the folded mound of clothes she would wear the next day on the floor near Kona's computer desk before lying on the floor next to where Konata had plopped down.

They chatted idly for a while, both of them were lying on the rug on Konata's floor staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't long before Konata issued a big yawn, and decide she had better head to the closet to get the futon for Kuroi. She came back, and rolled it out for her teacher, wondering if she should offer her bed to the blonde woman.

Not quite ready for bed, Konata relaxed on the futon next to her teacher, while they continued to talk. The talking was frequently interrupted by yawns, but one subject in particular made Konata focus. She was lying next to the warmth of the blonde woman feeling like sleep could take her any moment, and considering getting into her bed just in case she couldn't fight it when Kuroi squeezed Kona's hand, and said, "Hey. Why don't you tell me why you were crying earlier?"

Konata had forgotten she had been crying. She had been so happy tonight that it had erased any bad memories temporarily, but now she could remember. Kona felt nervous talking about it with someone, but she decided not to keep anything from Nanako. Konata told her, "When I got home, nobody was here. Yu-chan went out with friends, and Dad didn't even leave a note on where he was. I played a game for a little while, but then I started worrying about if they didn't come back, and then I felt lonely, and I started crying. I don't want to be alone anymore, I've had enough of it."

Kona felt warm all over as the older woman wrapped her arms around Konata. Nanako said, "Don't worry baby. If you're ever feeling lonely, just call me, and I'll come over, alright? I don't ever want you to have to worry about something like that again, so just remember we love you. Your dad, me, and Kagami will make sure you don't ever need to feel lonely again."

Konata could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She had yet another person besides her dad who wasn't afraid to say they loved her. Konata hugged the older woman back as hard as she could. She buried her face into Nanako's side, and cried. She let out all the frustration, and anger and fear of being abandoned again to someone who could take it and make her feel better.

The little Otaku didn't understand the closeness she was experiencing since she had never had a mother growing up, but now she didn't ever want to be without it again. Nanako just hugged her little girl, and smiled sweetly, comfortably stroking the smaller girl's hair, and trying to keep her from bottling up any feelings she still might need to let out.

Konata still wasn't completely better, she had been traumatized by her pain, but Nanako was happy to see the blue haired girl on the path to recovery. When Kona was done crying, she squeezed the blonde woman's hand tightly, and said in a voice that was barely a whisper, "Thanks mom. I love you."

Kuroi held little Kona until she fell asleep, and it wasn't very long after that the older woman herself passed out, not wanting to risk waking her daughter just to put her in bed. The teacher settled for pulling the covers tightly around the both of them, and going to sleep, still holding her little girl close.

Nearly an hour later Sojiro came upstairs, finished with the television for the night, and ready to head to bed himself. He noticed Konata's light was still on, and poked his head in to see what her and Kuroi were up to only to see them passed out. Konata was snuggling into Kuroi's side, while Nanako had her left arm spread all the way to her left side, and her right arm wrapped tightly around Kona's back.

They both had smiles on their faces, and the blue haired man could feel warmth and moisture in his eyes at the sight. He flipped the light out, and closed Konata's door, pausing with his hand still on the handle, and uncertain as to whether he should say anything to them. He let go of the handle, and headed towards his own room, thinking, "Kanata. You would approve of this, right?"

* * *

Author's Note: Ahhh. I really love writing these mother daughter moments so much. I particularly love writing about a family being very close since I myself have an incredibly close-knit family. I even tell my mom, dad, and sisters I love them every time I see them. I really have always felt that Konata needed a family. I HATED that she grew up without a mom in the anime, and while there's nothing I can do about that, at least since this is my story, I can give her a mother figure. Anyways, I kind of rushed through the editing of this since I have to head in to work in a couple hours, and still haven't slept yet, but don't worry, I'll re-read it, and fix any errors I find soon.

Thanks for reading my story all of you, and I hope you're still enjoying it. Make sure and tell me where I can improve, as it it helps the story, which is great for you guys and me alike. Also it increases the quality of any future works I might do.


	25. Waifu!

Chapter 25 Waifu!

"Kona! Why didn't you call! I was worried about you!" exclaimed a slightly angry, but mostly relieved Kagami as her girlfriend came into sight.

She crossed the width of the train, and sat down next to Konata who was smirking, and said "Awww. Kagamin was worried. So Dere-Dere. How long where you waiting by the phone?"

Tsukasa gasped, and replied, "That's amazing Kona-chan! How did you know she was waiting? Actually she did everything in the living room last night. Eating, homework, she even came downstairs while brushing her hair."

The blue haired girl smiled broadly, and said, "I know my Kagamin alright."

The red faced Tsundere had her jaw hanging open, as she stuttered. Quickly the older twin regained her composure before loudly saying, "Tsukasa! Why do you always blab to her!"

The younger twin giggled, and said, "Ah, sorries."

Kagami sat, now over her embarrassment with her arms folded, and shooting Konata an annoyed look. The smaller girl endured the look, trying to figure out what Kagami was mad about, and after she couldn't figure it out asked, "Hey. What's wrong Kagami?"

The Tsundere responded, "Nothing."

Kona didn't believe this for an instant, and then asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm not mad," responded Konata's girlfriend, but the vein on her forehead was a dead giveaway she was lying.

Konata could tell Kagami was angry about something, but she felt Konata should know perfectly well what was wrong, and wouldn't say. This left the blue haired girl stumped. She could never really understand other people's emotions even when they were being direct. The anger was evident, but how was Konata supposed to sort through it when her girlfriend wouldn't be honest about how she was feeling?

The little Otaku did the only thing she could think might help. She knelt on the floor in front of Kagami, and took both of her girlfriend's hands in her own. Kagami immediately began blushing, and a few passengers looked over to see what was happening. Konata said, "Kagami-sama. I apologize, and humbly beg your forgiveness."

The redness in the older twin's face was nearly purple, as she whispered furiously, not wanting to attract anymore unwanted attention, "Fine. Whatever. Get off the floor, and stop making a scene Kona!"

Konata grinned as she reclaimed her place on Kagami's right side. By apologizing without stating a reason for apologizing she had been able to get past Kagami's intention of making her confess to being wrong about something the smaller girl didn't understand. The strategy of making a scene while apologizing, Konata knew would distract Kagami from figuring out the real ruse, and have a better chance of offering forgiveness.

Kona leaned over against Kagami, enjoying the success of her plan, while Kagami who was still a little annoyed. Resisted the urge to wrap her arms around her little girlfriend, despite being in public. Tsukasa on the other hand, was more interested in their plans for the next day. She made it apparent by saying, "So, have either of you thought of anything special you want to do tomorrow? It has to be really romantic, a girl's first date is really important you know."

Kagami looked down at Kona hopefully, and more than a little guilt crept into Konata as she had failed utterly in planning something for their date. The Otaku replied, "Well I tried to think of some things we could do, but it's kind of hard to plan a two person event without both people being part of the planning."

The look of annoyance returned to Kagami, and the younger girl folded her arms, and said, "That's just one more reason you should have called me last night."

Kona wasn't put off by her girlfriend's annoyance, and said, "Did you think of anything you'd really like to do? I suppose we could just go out determined to find some fun, but I know you like some kind of plan."

Kagami responded immediately, "I thought of a couple things we could do, yeah. I suppose we could meet up at around twelve o'clock. Then we could check out a couple manga stores since you like them so much, but only for about an hour because the new cake buffet restaurant opens its doors at two, and I'm pretty sure there will be a big line. Also there's a big discount running for people making it in the first hour of opening. After we eat all those sweets, I'm sure we'll want to rest for a while in the park over by Gamer's. At three-thirty there's going to be some kite-flying event going on in the park anyways, so we may as well try that out. If we do that for an hour, then it's going to be getting dark, so I suppose we should go back to your place then, and make a full day out of it. You can make me a really nice dinner as well."

Tsukasa and Konata just nodded along with Kagami as she had obviously planned the whole thing out. Konata particularly liked the way Kagami made it sound as if the kite flying event was just something she coincidentally thought of. Her Tsundere was so cute it was unbearable sometimes. Kona said excitedly, "Sounds like a plan then. I'm glad I didn't think of anything now since it would have probably ruined your schedule."

The older twin turned a little red at Konata remark, and said, "You should take our first date more seriously Kona. I've heard the first date sets the mood for the entire relationship. We have to make sure it's perfect."

"It's perfect," responded Konata on the end of Kagami's sentence with no pause.

The Tsundere was a little confused, and said, "Huh?"

The blue haired girl just held Kagami's hand, and said, "It's already perfect, because you're going to be there with me. I don't care what we do."

The redness of Kagami's face increased a little bit, and Konata giggled before releasing Kagami's hand so the younger girl could settle down a little. Tsukasa couldn't help but smile, and say, "Aww. That's so sweet Kona-chan."

Konata could hardly hear Tsukasa's words because Kagami had slowly reached out, and gripped Kona's left hand again. Apparently she hadn't wanted Konata to let go. The tsundere stared down into her little Otaku's eyes, and smiled. Kagami's gentle squeeze on the Otaku's hand told Konata everything she needed to know about how Kagami felt on her remark.

Inside the blue haired girl felt like she was going to go crazy. How was she supposed to restrain herself from doing extreme things, and embarrassing Kagami when her girlfriend did things that were so cute? Not for the first time Konata wanted her Tsundere to lean in close so that they could taste each other's lips, but she still wasn't quite ready for that.

Thinking of that brought Kona back to reality as she remembered the small object in her bag. That got her serious quickly, which wasn't lost to Kagami who said, "Hey Kona? What's the matter?"

Konata looked up at Kagami seriously, and said, "Hey, can you meet me on the roof during lunch today? I need to talk to you about something alone, okay?"

The older twin was quiet for a moment, gauging the seriousness in her girlfriend's eyes, before she asked, "Something Tsukasa and Miyuki can't hear?"

"No," said Konata, looking worried for a moment, thinking she may have offended Kagami, but she continued, "They can hear it, that's not what I'm worried about, it's just something I need to talk about with you first."

Kagami watched her little love's cute face as she waved her arms in explanation, and struggled very hard not to pull her in close, and tell her everything was alright, instead she said, "That's fine Konata. I'm sure it's important if you want to talk it over alone, usually you'd just blurt out whatever you wanted."

The smaller girl recoiled at the jab, but smiled, and realized her Tsun-Tsun was just making an appearance, it was about time too, since that caring side was starting to make Konata think maybe she had lost most of Kagami's temper when she had gained her love. It wouldn't do for such a big part of her lover to just disappear.

The two girls held hands, and chatted happily along with Tsukasa until they reached school, and met up with Miyuki, Minami, and Yutaka. They had some time left before school started, so they all found a table in the school yard, and talked. Kagami was pleased they didn't jump right on the topic of her new relationship with Kona. It was really nice for her to get a sense of normality back, especially when so much had happened in the past two weeks.

In such a short time, her whole life had seemed to change, and yet the world flowed on without a care. Had she really believed the entire world hung on whether or not Konata would return her love? Even now, remembering the fear she had felt in the train station, seeing Konata asleep, thinking she was hurt was enough to make Kagami want to scream.

Remembering when she had really almost lost Konata made her want to hug the little Otaku, and never let go. Not an hour went by when Kagami didn't wonder if something else might hurt Kona, and take her away. Suddenly the little blue haired girl who had always seemed so strong and carefree was fragile.

Without meaning to, the Tsundere felt her arms wrap around Kona's waist, surprising the smaller girl at first, but after a moment Konata leaned back against Kagami, saying her love's name quietly. Kagami whispered into her Otaku's ear, "Just wanted to make sure you're happy."

Kona smiled a little smile Kagami couldn't see, and said, "Always, with you."

"OI! Are you two gonna get mushy every time we turn our heads!" shouted Misao loudly causing everyone in the vicinity to first look at her, and then at the couple she was pointing at. Kagami was about to yell at the fanged girl but was over shouted by her very target continuing, "If you're gonna get all lovey, at least give us a decent show."

Ayano was right behind the excited brunette, smiling her usual smile that frustrated Kagami with its constant positivity, and Konata laughed, and said, "Alright. How's this!"

With that the the Tsundere immediately turned red, as Konata swung her legs over Kagami's lap, and scooted into a sitting position on the younger girl's legs. As she scooted, Kona wrapped her arms around Kagami's neck, and planted a big kiss on the crimson girl's cheek before giving Misao a thumbs up, and wink.

Misao obviously hadn't been expecting Konata's reaction, but she took it in stride, and true to never being the person with nothing to say, she cheered loudly, and said, "That's more like it chibi! If you two have some time I have a couple suggestions on getting some more attention!"

Kagami was the only one who noticed Konata's sudden tension. As the blue haired girl faced Misao she saw for the first time exactly how many people were watching them, a lot of them were whispering things back and forth to each other. She didn't like it, knowing so many people were looking at her. The little Otaku was feeling nervous, just like at that couple's competition when so much attention had been focused on her.

Kona's face started burning, and she hid her face on Kagami's shoulder, not wanting her embarrassment to be seen by her friends, or anyone for that matter. Even so her grip tightened on Kagami, and the bigger girl felt her small girlfriend trembling.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" shouted Kagami, her face was blood red at this point, vein looking as if it would burst. Even with her embarrassment though, she didn't shove Konata away, instead she pulled her closer as if trying to protect the smaller girl from the attention everyone around them was giving, while she said, "C'mon Konata, let's go somewhere perverted people aren't leeching peeks."

Kagami spun around, and Misao now saw the state of Konata, she hadn't intended or expected anything like that. The Tsundere tried to stand Kona up, but the smaller girl wouldn't let go, her arms were locked around Kagami's neck, and her face was still hidden from most everyone. Konata whispered, "Help Kagamin."

The older twin's anger was almost too much to control at this point, how could people dare to frighten Konata like that? She lifted her small girlfriend, and carried her like a princess around the corner of the school building, attracting even more attention than before. Halfway to their isolated spot though, they heard Misao shouting, "Oi! What are all you jerks staring at! Weren't any of you raised with manners?"

Miyuki, being worried about whether or not everything would be alright rose to follow Kagami, but was stopped by Tsukasa, who said, "Don't worry Yuki-chan, they'll be fine."

As the two girlfriends disappeared a few people stared after them, but most people who had been looking just moved on about their business, although a few people were shouting at Misao to quiet down.

Kagami walked until she couldn't see anyone else, and then let Konata stand on her own. The blue haired girl was looking down at her feet, and was still a little red in the face. Kona said quietly, "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Kagamin."

"Don't worry about it Kona. I'm a lot more angry at all the others for scaring you. Are you alright now?" responded Kagami sounding worried.

The little Otaku smiled sheepishly, and said, "Uh-huh. Thanks a lot."

The lavender haired girl felt some relief at Konata's answer, but the issue wasn't done. She had seen Konata act like that before, but something was bothering her. She expressed it by saying, "Since when did you become so afraid of being in front of people Konata? You fainted at that competition we won, but when we did that cheer, you were just fine. We were all a little nervous, sure, but nothing like you were a minute ago."

Kona looked up into her girlfriend's eyes, and said, "Yeah. I've always been like this I guess. Usually when I make a scene everyone ignores me except you guys. When we were doing our dance routine it wasn't like the focus was on me, they were watching all of us, and I was really distracted by trying to get everything right. When I saw them looking though, I just choked. They weren't all looking in just our directions, I felt like all their eyes were just on me, and I got scared."

Kagami sighed, and placed her hand on Konata's shoulder, saying, "If you're going to get scared, why don't you try not to make a big scene anymore? I'm sure that'll be a lot better."

The school bell rang at this point, signaling the start of the school day, and Kagami said, "Darn. Well, we gotta go to class now. You want me to walk you there?"

Kagami was taken by surprise when she felt Kona's arms wrap around her waist. She looked down into Kona's face, and the smaller girl said, "Hold me Kagami. Just for a little bit, okay?"

With that Konata gave her girlfriend a tiny smile, and Kagami couldn't help but notice Kona's eyes. No different from usual, and yet the love she saw there made her mind go blank. Those eyes were the ones she lived for seeing. Kagami hugged the little Otaku tightly, and said, "Fine. I guess we can be a little late today."

After hearing the first bell Tsukasa, and Miyuki headed up to their class, seeing no sign of Konata and Kagami. Even after the bell that signaled the start of class rung Konata still didn't make an appearance. It was almost ten minutes after everyone was supposed to be seated that they heard running in the hall, and a shout of, "WAAAAIIIT!"

Tsukasa giggled, and turned to face Miyuki, thoroughly relieved. The younger twin smiled, and said, "See Yuki-chan. I told you they'd be fine."

Konata burst in, and Kuroi who had been waiting for her was just about ready to give her a smack on the head, when Konata began waving her hands around, and saying, "I'm sorry I'm late sensei. I know you got me up early, and everything to make sure I was here on time, but I heard this one girl out in the courtyard saying that you were mean, and of course I had to go over, and say, 'NO! She's the nicest most beautiful sensei in the world!' but that girl wouldn't listen, and she even called you old!"

At that point Konata paused for a moment to catch her breath, and then said seriously, "I for one was appalled by her behavior."

Numerous students were chuckling at the little Otaku, including Tsukasa. Miyuki was covering her mouth, and trying not to giggle. Nanako only said, "Alright, go to your seat Izumi, we'll talk about this later."

As Konata headed towards her seat, she gave Tsukasa a thumbs up, and Nanako couldn't help but smile. Even if she was eighteen years old, that childishness was something she loved about Konata. She was still going to get a lecture during their raid though.

The blue haired girl took her seat, and opened her bag to pull out the materials everyone else already had out. After that she joined in the lesson. Tsukasa and Miyuki noticed that Kona was actually paying close attention, and taking notes, they were surprised when at one point Konata actually raised her hand, and asked Kuroi to explain something she didn't quite understand.

Nanako's jaw actually hung open for a few moments when that happened, and she explained again casting worried glances towards the blue haired girl. In this manner time passed until the lunch bell rang, and Kona suddenly leaned back in her chair, saying, "My brain hurts now..."

Tsukasa took this chance while Konata was resting to approach the smaller girl, and ask, "Hey Kona-chan? Is everything alright now?"

Kona yawned then stretched, but after that she smiled at Tsukasa, and said, "Yeah, everything's fine now. I'm going to talk with Kagamin now, and then it'll be even better."

Tsukasa smiled, even though she had picked up on the seriousness in Kona's last statement, she could tell Konata was really looking forward to whatever she was going to say to Kagami. A look of determination came over the smaller girl's face as she thought about what was coming. Tsukasa put her hand on Konata's shoulder from behind, and said, "You don't need to worry about anything with Onee-chan Kona-chan. I know she really loves you a whole lot."

Kona blushed a little, and smiled at her friend, before saying, "Yeah, I know she does too. Thanks Tsukasa, I really needed that."

Konata left carrying her lunch bag, but on her way out she was stopped by Misao and Ayano entering the room, still going to eat lunch with Tsukasa and Miyuki even though Kagami had gone to the roof already. Misao said, "Hey chibi, I...uhhh...well..."

Misao trailed off rubbing the back of her head until Ayano nudged her, and said, "Say it Misa-chan."

Misao sighed, and said, "Well, this morning, maybe I shouldn't have...well I probably shouldn't have got everyone looking at you two, and I suppose that maybe I regret it a little."

Kona smiled, but didn't have time to feel touched, she was going to see Kagami, and so she quickly said, "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong this morning."

With that Konata dashed off, still carrying her bag, and she heard Misao say loudly, "See I told you I didn't do anything!"

The blue haired girl maneuvered through the halls with ease, and made her way to the roof. It had been a popular spot for kids to eat lunch a few years before, but now everyone ate in the cafeteria, and the courtyards, so they would most likely be alone. Kona quickly walked up the stairs, and opened the door, heading out on the roof to find herself staring at nobody. She looked left and then right, and noone was here. Despair quickly welled up in Konata as she considered all sorts of horrible things that could have happened to Kagami, and then she felt a familiar warmth as her loves arms slowly pulled her in close.

Kagami wrapped her arms around the little Otaku's stomach, and held her close, she said quietly, "You almost hit me with the door you know. Not everything has to be done in a rush. Did you pay attention in class like I asked this morning?"

Kona leaned back against her girlfriend, feeling the softness of the younger girl's chest, resisting the urge to turn around, and bury her face in that softness she said, "Mmmhmm. Kagamin. I'm glad you came."

"So what is it you needed to talk about Kona?" asked Kagami, getting straight to the point which sort of annoyed Konata since she wanted to be held a little longer. So Konata stepped away from Kagami, and then turned to face her love.

Kona couldn't avoid what she had to do though, and after she sighed, she said, "Kagamin, I'm still hurting."

Kagami's eyes grew large, and she said, "How are you hurting Konata? Is it from this morning?"

"No," said Konata, as she gazed downwards, not wanting to meet Kagami's gaze. She felt like she wasn't even worth being able to look at her girlfriend since she wasn't just perfectly happy having the girl she loved. Konata felt selfish for troubling Kagami, but she couldn't get over it alone. She needed her lover.

The little Otaku said, "Every time I'm by myself, I get worried noone is ever coming to see me again. I'm scared you'll all leave me alone."

"I did this to you," replied Kagami sadly, feeling worthless, knowing she had hurt Konata, and being so stupid as to believe she had really gotten over it that quickly.

The blue haired girl forced herself to meet Kagami's gaze, and she wanted to cry knowing she was the one responsible for the sad look on Kagami's face. She said, "No you didn't. A lot of mean people are the ones who did this to me, not you. It's because of you that I've decided to be stronger. I just couldn't stand to think I might be alone though. I'm not going to use any more crutches Kagamin. I'm going to stop being so selfish, and just expecting everyone to drop everything and love me. So I needed to ask you something really important."

The atmosphere here wasn't romantic at all. Kagami felt nervous seeing the determination in Konata's eyes. Her stomach knotted up, and her palms felt sweaty. The tsundere asked, "What is it Konata?"

"Help me Kagamin. Make me feel better, please. I can't stand it anymore. I still hurt so bad, thinking about losing you, it's so scary I can't think straight. I curl up in my bed, and I cry and cry," as if to emphasize this, the blue haired girl sniffed a couple times, and Kagami could tell she was close to shedding tears.

The lavender haired girl instinctively reached out to embrace Kona, and let her know she was going to be fine, she wanted to take away all of Konata's fear and pain, but Konata grabbed Kagami's wrists, and stopped the hug short. Kona dug through the bag she had dropped in order to grab Kagami's wrists a moment later, and dug out a small object Kagami recognized as her cellphone.

"You have to take it from me Kagamin. I can't let it go," said Kona, her voice starting to crack as she looked at the small object in her extended hand.

Kagami regarded the cellphone, wondering where Konata had found it, she had been certain it was lost, and yet the lavender haired girl knew Konata hadn't just brought her up here to return the phone. She was suddenly feeling very annoyed, and Kagami couldn't figure out why. There was a burning in her chest she recognized as a seething anger, and yet it had no discernible target. Kagami wanted to thrash around, and hurt something, she didn't think she had ever been so angry in her life.

Kona said quietly, and sadly, which made Kagami even more angry, "You left it when you left me. I turned it off and hid it because I was scared someone would take all that I had of you left away from me. I needed it so bad, I believed as long as I had it, you would have a good reason to come back to me, it let me stay hopeful even while I was hurting so bad I couldn't think straight. Afterward though, I hated it, It reminds me of the pain, and it hurts me so bad to even think about it. I can't get rid of it, you have to take it from me. Even though it hurts me, and reminds me of all the bad things, I'm so scared you'll leave again, and I'll need it, so I can't let it go."

Kagami reached out, and grasped Konata's hand, and the phone firmly. She squeezed Kona's hand gently before snatching the phone away before Konata could put up some kind of resistance. Her mind was clouded by a hate she didn't understand, it was scaring her, but Kagami didn't hesitate. After she had the phone she threw it on the ground, breaking it, she then proceeded to stomp it repeatedly, causing Kona to scream, "NO!"

The blue haired girl was in tears as she reached desperately for the only security she would ever have if Kagami left her. The small girl's hands were stopped by Kagami pulling her in close, and hugging her tight. The anger was gone now. Kagami had destroyed the thing that was hurting Kona. They were silent for a few moments, Kagami could feel a little wetness on her chest as her love shed a few more tears. Without looking up from her haven in Kagami's chest, Konata said, "I'm still scared I needed it."

Kagami petted her girlfriend's hair, and replied, "I hated it. I hated it for hurting you. If I can help it, nothing will ever make you hurt again Kona. You're mine now, and I'm never letting go of you. You don't need that to feel safe, and strong. Not when you have me."

"What do I have when you're not there though? How can I stand the hurting when you're not around if I don't have something to keep me strong. I know I want to be strong enough to be okay when you're not around, but I don't know how," responded Kona, her seriousness hurt Kagami. The younger girl felt like her heart would rip to pieces if she had to see that sad look on Kona's face for another second.

Kagami knew her little Kona could be strong. She had grown up without a mother, she had endured so much pain from hurtful people, and the only thing she had ever earned for her kindness was the girl she had fallen in love with hurting her. Kagami had to tell Konata she was strong, and they would always be with each other, even when they couldn't be in each other's arms in a way the little Otaku could understand.

She let her lips touch Konata's forehead, and after she pulled her lips back, she said,

_Once upon a time there was a beautiful sorceress, who was very powerful. Everyone feared her power though, and day after day she was all alone. One day while out walking though, the sorceress met a young woman, and instantly fell in love. The woman was so beautiful that the lonely sorceress couldn't help but want her._

_The sorceress nervously asked the woman who she was, and why she wasn't afraid to travel in the lands of such a powerful being. The woman smiled, and said she was lost. She was looking for her happiness, but no matter how far she roamed it couldn't be found. The sorceress immediately wanted to do anything to make this woman happy so she offered her gold, and treasures only to be rejected._

_She offered magical aide to make the woman powerful, she would give the woman her lands, and let her rule as queen if it would please her, but once again she was rejected. Finally the sorceress asked if she had anything at all that the woman desired, only for the beautiful woman to tell her true happiness could only be found when you entered another's heart._

_For as long as the woman traveled, many had desired her looks, but never had any of them offered their hearts. The sorceress, being all alone understood, and promised to give her heart to the woman, and dedicate her life to making her happy. The woman smiled, and accepted the gift of the sorceress. _

_The two lived happily in the tower belonging to the sorceress, and they made each other happy for many years until a demon appeared, jealous of the happiness that the two shared. One day when the Sorceress was busy, the woman went out to tend the garden the sorceress had grown for her, and the demon attacked her. It ripped out most of her love and happiness before disappearing, leaving the beautiful woman a shell of what she used to be._

_The sorceress sensed the presence of the demon too late, and when she found her love the happiness that existed between them was nearly gone. The sorceress loved the woman so much, she couldn't bear to see her fade, and so she cast a spell to move her happiness into her love. Before her eyes the woman recovered, but now deprived of the happiness she had once felt, the sorceress was fading fast._

_The demon reappeared sensing the weakness of the sorceress, and it attempted to steal what was left of the happiness the two women shared, only to be struck down by the weakened sorceress, who was still very powerful. The beautiful woman begged the sorceress to take her happiness back, she didn't want to live without the one she loved, and she said she would die without her._

_As the sorceress weakened she could tell her love was not lying. Neither of them could be saved from the sadness, but they could be happy in their final moments. The sorceress took a tiny bit of the love the other woman felt for her, and gave her love what was left of her weakened feelings, only to discover that even a tiny bit of the other woman's love completely overwhelmed her._

_The beautiful woman felt the exact same thing from her lover, and they both decided even if there was a small chance they could be saved, it would be abandoned. They needed to show the world this feeling, and share it with everyone. In no condition to travel and teach, the sorceress summoned all of her energy, and wove a spell across the entire world, not being strong enough she tapped her very life energy, and when even that wasn't strong enough, her lover offered her own for the spell's completion._

_As they died, happiness spread throughout the world so that whenever two people truly wished to make each other happy. They would be able to feel the incredible sensation of their lover's hearts. Their minds would be lost to the strength of the newly defined feeling of love. From then on love was the strongest feeling anyone could ever feel, because when someone felt it, they were feeling their lover's very heart._

Kagami finished her story, still holding Kona close. The blue haired girl had calmed down, but now she looked worried, and she looked up to Kagami, and asked, "Are you saying something about us dying? Which one of us was the sorceress, and which one was the beautiful woman?"

"We weren't either of them Kona," replied Kagami smiling, she had been sure Konata would've thought the story was about their relationship somehow.

Kagami then said, "We came in at the end. Because the sorceress, and the woman loved each other so much, then as long as you love me, and I love you, are hearts will always be together. You don't need a stupid phone, and you don't even need me to hug you to not be lonely. When we first said we loved each other, you received a piece of my heart, and I got a piece of yours. So we'll always be together. I'm a part of you now Kona. I love you."

"I love you too Kagamin," said Kona, squeezing her girlfriend as hard as she could.

Kagami reveled in the feeling of love coming from the smaller girl. A few weeks before she wouldn't have believed it was possible to be this happy, and just like in her story, Kona's love was truly overwhelming. When Kagami felt it, she was completely lost, her mind withered, and all that mattered was seeing that little Otaku smiling.

Kona laughed a cute, tiny laugh in Kagami's arms, causing the Tsundere to say, "What's so funny?"

The blue haired girl nuzzled against Kagami's breasts, and said, "I bet that story would make an awesome eroge."

"Way to ruin the moment there," said Kagami, who would have facepalmed if she wasn't holding Kona so tightly.

The blue haired girl laughed, and ended the embrace, and the two sat down leaning against the small wall and fence on the edge of the roof. Kagami's stomach rumbled since she hadn't eaten lunch yet, and Konata laughed as she said, "I made something special for you today Kagamin."

Kona couldn't explain it. She felt completely different now. Her heart no longer felt like tearing, there wasn't any small part of her that felt empty. As she pulled out the leftover fried potato balls from the night before, and handed them to Kagami to eat, she leaned against her lover's shoulder, and said, "My heart feels full now Kagamin."

The tsundere smiled, and after she popped one of the potato balls into her mouth, she wrapped her left arm around Konata, and said, "Mine always does. Ever since you said you loved me. I guess this is what it's like to finally be head over heels. I can't imagine a world without you now Kona. No, a world without you wouldn't even be a world at all."

"I guess that means you'll never leave me, right?" said Konata happily, already knowing she would be with the younger girl for the rest of her life.

Kagami chuckled, and said, "There's no need to ever be worried about that. You filled my heart up too Kona. There's no way I can leave you. I need you."

"Love me," said Kona quietly.

"I do," responded Kagami.

"I'll love you forever and ever Kagamin," said Konata still quietly but with a seriousness in her voice that made Kagami's heart feel as if it would burst with joy.

The Tsundere responded, "That sounds a lot like a proposal."

The Otaku blushed, and said, "What if that was my intention?"

Kagami set down the lunch Kona was happily watching her eat, and took the smaller girl's hands in her own. Their eyes met, and they stared for a few moments, lost in each other's gaze before Kagami said lovingly, "I'd say Konata is my waifu."

* * *

Author's Note: Took me long enough to do this. I'm really sad I don't have more time to write. Hopefully one day soon I can have some more time, and start releasing like I did in the first two months I worked on the story, but it's not looking like I'll get more free time soon. I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can.

As far as this chapter goes though, I decided it was time for Kagami and Konata to have a serious moment, and get Konata somewhere closer to the happiness she needs to be feeling for me to be happy.

I really appreciate the advice, and praise I have received, and I request you keep the feedback coming. Thank you all for sticking with this story.


	26. Date Preparation!

Chapter 26 Date Preparation!

Kona couldn't help but hum as she walked home. She was happy, and her heart was so full, she thought it might just pop open. The blue haired girl felt like dancing and singing, and telling everyone about how much she loved being alive right then. The familiar scenery passed slowly by as she walked until finally the blue haired girl found herself entering her own home, calling out, "Dad! Me and Yu-chan are back now!"

The happiness in his daughter's voice was not lost on Sojiro, who immediately called back, "That's great. I just got back from buying a new four player game. You two want to try it out with me?"

Yutaka's eyes lit up, even though she wasn't as good as her relatives, living here had shown her how fun video games could be, and she replied excitedly, "I want to play! Let's all play it together."

Kona smiled at the cuteness of Yutaka's reaction, and said, "Yeah, it'll be fun. What kind of game is it?"

Sojiro showed the case, still in its wrapping with the price tag on it, and said, "Some new FPS game. It has a four player co-op mode though, and I thought it would be pretty fun."

"Break out the multi-tap, and let's get started then!" said Kona loudly, as Yutaka nodded fervently.

Sojiro pulled out their controllers since each of them had a stylized controller they liked to use. Sojiro used a dark green controller, that was plain in its appearance, while Konata used a clear purple controller with lights on the inside, and hand grips on the bottom and side to stop her hands from getting slippery.

Yutaka used a smaller controller with a turbo toggle. The controller was pink, and didn't have a rumble pack since those hurt her hands after an extended gaming session. While Sojiro was plugging up the controllers, Yutaka said, "I want to be player 3, okay?"

Kona raised an eyebrow, and responded, "No fair Yu-chan, you always get the big screen. Let someone else have a chance."

Yutaka eyes grew large at the rebuttal, and she stuttered, "B-but Onee-chan. I'm not as good as you two. I need the bigger screen to play at all."

Kona winced as she met Yutaka's puppy dog eyes. How could she say no, even if she knew the cuteness was faked? Yutaka wasn't as good at the action element as her two family members, but Kona knew she was a deadly sniper. A threat hidden behind a veil of moe that would strike down, and pwn all resistance if it were allowed the bigger screen.

Even so, Konata relented, and let Yutaka have her way while thinking over and over, "The cute is a lie."

The cute wasn't a lie though, and Konata soon found that out while watching her little cousin bouncing up and down with excitement waiting for the new game to start. They each made a new player profile, customized the colors of the people they chose, and launched the game.

They had had four people to choose from as it was a class based game. Konata had chosen the machine gun specialist, who could move silently. Sojiro was playing the role of medic, and let Kona lead the way with Yutaka right behind him, as the marksman. The smallest girl's face was one of utmost concentration as she scanned her screen, ready to fire at anything that moved in a threatening manner.

The three of them were walking through the hallways of a spaceship, hearing noises, and screams in the distance. They entered a large hangar area that was dark all over. Yutaka and Sojiro spotted an area where Yu-chan could provide sniper cover, and began hopping on crates in order to reach it while Kona scouted around the various small spacecraft in the hangar.

The blue haired girl used her flashlight sparingly since the battery seemed to drain quickly. Yutaka's flashlight was already flickering from extended use, and Sojiro had yet to turn his on. The opening movie scene had hinted at some invisible force taking over the ship as it was headed towards a new colony world. The force was steadily drawing towards them judging by the sounds issuing from the speakers.

There were sounds of metal screeching, and crashing noises occasionally interrupted by screams. Sojiro was starting to think this game may have too much horror element for his little niece until he heard a shot ring out, and Yutaka exclaimed, "I saved you Onee-chan!"

A shadowy figure had jumped from the top of one of the ships Konata's character was passing, and Yutaka had shot it out from above her. It immediately stood back up, but was stopped by Konata unloading her machine gun into it. The Otaku said, "Good job Yu-chan."

The creature had yielded some experience, but no loot. The sounds of other things getting closer were obvious though. It wasn't long at all before Konata found herself trying to shoot down some quick flying creatures targeting the sniper character while Yutaka, and Sojiro covered her as she quickly hopped around trying to stay out of reach of more of the monsters like the first one.

Once the enemies flying around were taken care of, the ones on the ground were taken care of pretty easily. They seemed to be the beginning grunt enemy used for quick xp gain. Soon they were all level three, and a woman contacted them on the game, telling them they needed to get to the bridge, and re-establish control of the ship.

The plot of the game seemed to be setting itself up to stop the ship from reaching whatever planet they were traveling towards, so the creatures wouldn't take it over. Even with the predictable plot, the action was great, and the game was loads of fun, especially with the skill building, and gun customization systems.

The in-depth character building was something Konata always loved to see from a game. Making the character her own by equipping certain gun parts in different colors. Yu-chan seemed to be getting into the customization too, as every time she picked up a new gun part, or clothing, she changed the color to match a certain best friend's hair before nodding with approval at her character viewer, and continuing in the game.

Their teamwork had been honed across many games, and they had a system that worked for them, unfortunately like many games of this style, once they proceeded a little further in the game, it felt the need to swamp them with enemies.

Yutaka switched to her customized three round burst pistol for dealing with things up close, while Sojiro used a small machine gun to pop heads when enemies closed in, and focused on healing Konata who was holding back the majority of the incoming mob with controlled machine gun fire. She swept first the legs of the incoming enemies, and then made a second pass at head level killing many of the stunned enemies.

Their backs were up against a wall since they retreated down a corridor that required a card key to open the passage the enemies weren't swarming through. Things were looking bleak as the three of them watched their ammo count dwindle quickly. The only reason they were still alive was because of the occasional ammo drop an enemy gave when they died.

Backing away they were quickly running out of room. Nothing could distract them, concentration and determination was a mask on each of their faces as they gave each other orders. This was not lost on Nanako since no one looked away to greet her when she walked in. the blonde woman greeted them with a, "Hey everybody."

Sojiro grunted, Yutaka completely ignored her since her focus was on getting head shots, and Konata said quickly, "There's another controller in the right hand drawer of my computer desk, get it, and help, quick."

Nanako didn't miss the utmost seriousness in Konata's voice, after looking at the screen though, it was obvious how much help they needed. Konata was using her knife until she got enough ammo to reload her assault rifle. Yutaka was out of pistol ammo, and was now trying to no scope the enemies from a little behind Sojiro who was running low on ammo himself, and waiting on his medic skill to finish its cool down.

The teacher assessed the situation, and could see they wouldn't last long without her help. Maybe it was too late even if she joined, but if there was even a slim chance she could save her new family, she was going to take it. Nanako rushed towards the stairs, only to realize she hadn't taken her shoes off, so she kicked them off towards the front door, and headed up to Konata's room.

The light was out, and she cursed loudly as right when she flipped the switch, the light bulb blew out, leaving the room in darkness. Nanako quickly crossed to the computer desk, and brought the computer out of standby mode for light, and opened the drawer Konata had said to in order to find the controller. Once she had it, she rushed back downstairs, being yelled at by unappreciative people for blocking the screen while she fumbled the controller into the multi-tap slot.

She joined through the guest profile, not bothering to make one of her own at the moment, and Yutaka grumbled as the big screen at the bottom was cut in half to allow Nanako to join as the demolitions specialist. The blonde woman spawned right beside Konata at the average experience level of the current party since she was using the guest profile.

The blonde woman's shotgun boomed loudly out of the speakers as she opened up on the mob, driving them back from Konata, who took a moment to get healing from her dad, and let her energy shields recharge while Nanako held them with her full ammo count.

Nanako would spread her four shots across the front of the mob, stunning them, and stopping them from moving forward, and then she would chunk a grenade, and reload in the time it took for the grenade to explode, and free up the back of the clump of enemies to move forward. Konata would rush in right after the grenade explosions to pick up the ammo drops, and soon she was assisting Nanako in holding back the mob of enemies.

Even with Nanako's help though there were still too many, and Yutaka's recon skill confirmed they still had at least a hundred more enemies to kill before they would be able to make it out of the hallways, and back to a slightly lower level area to regroup, and get more supplies. Soon the shotgun was empty since shotgun ammo drops were rare, and Nanako was down to using a default single shot pistol, as she waited for her grenade cool down to finish.

They were pressed against the wall at this point, everyone now taking damage in melee, and Nanako wasn't far from doing a suicide throw of a grenade, to give the others a small chance when a golden exclamation mark appeared on Kona's screen, showing she had leveled up. This refilled her health, and shields as well as making all of her skills immediately useable.

A new skill called barricade had become available though, and Kona quickly equipped it after she drove back the mob enough for Nanako to grenade them. She used it, and the skill dropped a small, stationary energy shield in front of her. It was only big enough to give one person cover, but cover wasn't what they needed. The beauty of this skill was that it forced the mob to split, and move around the shield.

The mob was no longer a wall of enemies, it was split, and forced through two choke points where Konata, and the others were more than happy to slaughter them while they were stuck in slow moving clumps. In this manner they were able to kill the remaining enemies, and make their escape into blessed lower level areas.

It was only once they were in a safe spot, that Konata noticed the tears flowing freely from Nanako's eyes, and said, "Hey, what's the matter? We beat them."

The older woman sniffed, and said, "All that experience...and I don't get any of it since I haven't made my own character."

The horror then dawned on Konata. Why did such good actions always go unrewarded in a world such as theirs? She comforted her teacher, and Yutaka herself looked pretty sad. She even managed to force out, "I-if you want to...you...you can have my save file. I'll just start a new one, if it would make you feel better."

Nanako smiled at the Yutaka, and said, "Thanks for the offer, but Snipers don't get infinite grenades. I'll just make a demolitions character now, and maybe we can do it all again later."

The game moved on for almost an entire hour after that, and it was an intense grind session to get Nanako's new character up to their own level, but once it was done they all stated their relief, and saved their characters, quitting for the time being with the promise of playing again very soon.

With the game session over, the four of them relaxed on the couch, discussing dinner plans. Soon Sojiro was left to calling for some pizza to be delivered since all of them were in the mood for pizza. The three girls remained on the couch while Sojiro ordered the food. Konata was talking excitedly about her date with Kagami. She was really looking forward to it.

At least she was until Nanako asked her, "So what did you decide to wear?"

Kona stared at her teacher for a few moments in silence before tilting her head to the left, and saying, "Huh?"

The teacher responded, "You've got to be kidding me. Your first date is tomorrow, and you haven't even decided on what to wear? A normal girl would be pulling her hair out right about now."

Konata responded, "I was just going to pick out something pretty tomorrow morning. I have a couple of pretty dresses actually that should be fine."

At this time Sojiro was walking back in, and he said, "The food is ordered, it should be here in about half an hour."

Konata called out, "Hey dad, I need you to help me pick out something cute to do with my hair later for Kagamin, okay?"

Sojiro grinned broadly, and said, "Don't worry honey, no one knows cute like your old man."

Kona smiled back, but Nanako wasn't done, she said, "So what if you have a couple of pretty dresses. What if you both show up wearing dresses, that's just weird."

"Don't worry so much mom, it's fine it's fine," replied Konata in a casual tone.

Nanako's reaction to this was one of joy. To be called mother by Konata so casually really made the blonde woman feel pride and happiness. Sojiro dropped the phone he was holding, looking surprised, but only for a second. The only one who noticed his shift in character was Konata, who slapped herself mentally for not asking what he would think of her calling Nanako her mom.

He played it off with a comment about clumsiness, but Kona felt sure he hadn't liked what he had heard at all. Even with the seriousness though, the mood wasn't ruined, they all waited while Konata ran up to her room, and came back wearing different dresses, until after she had worn all of her dresses, they told her to wear the blue one that matched her hair.

The dress was a simple one, but Konata loved how it looked on her. It didn't cling so much it was scandalous, but her figure could clearly be seen in it, and the bottom of it was just below her knees. Kona loved seeing her dad smiling so much at her, she could tell he was really proud of her. She could also tell how much her whole family loved her.

The fullness of her heart grew even more, and Konata had a hard time believing it was possible to be as happy as she was. Then she felt silly, how could she feel so happy right after hurting her dad? He would never say anything to make her sad, or hurt her, even if what she did hurt him, so she asked him, "Hey dad? Can you show me mom's ribbon collection again? I want to pick one out. They can wait down here for the pizza guy, so it'll be fine."

Sojiro stood immediately, and said, "Sure thing, let's go."

The two blue haired ones went up the stairs, and into Sojiro's room, and before Konata could say anything, her father asked her, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"How did you know?" responded Kona, honestly surprised, even while a little worry crept into her. She didn't like approaching subjects she knew would make her dad sensitive.

The blue haired man smiled, and said, "I've been raising you on my own for fifteen years now. I think I can tell when something's bothering you."

The blue haired girl said seriously, "I didn't mean to hurt you dad. I won't call her mom anymore if that makes you feel better."

Sojiro hugged his daughter tightly. Kona loved it, she always felt happy when her dad hugged her. He made her feel like she was the most important thing in the whole world, he made her feel safe, and special. Her father said, "Hey, don't worry about something as silly as that Konata. Nanako-san is a good woman, and she loves you very much, I'm honestly glad you have someone you can look up to and to call your mother."

Kona looked into her dad's eyes, and saw an emotion she rarely saw from him. He was sad, but not because she had called Nanako her mother. He continued, "Kanata loved you more than anything in the world. I guess I'm just a little scared that you'll forget her."

Kona could almost see the lump in her dad's throat, she had never seen her father cry, but she knew if things stayed this serious, she probably would soon. She hugged him back, and said, "I'll never forget her. I love her too dad."

The embrace ended, and Sojiro went to his closet to fetch the box containing all of Kanata's old accessories. He said as he brought the box over to Konata to look at, "It seems like only yesterday you could barely reach my knees. Now you're all grown up, and falling in love. I know she'd be just as proud as I am."

They sat next to each other on his bed, which was more firm than Konata's own, and for the first time she noticed it was much bigger, it was a bed meant for two people. She looked around his room as if seeing it for the first time. His dresser was a really light color, and it had cute little kitten decorations on the handles of the drawers. Surely not something her father would have picked out.

Hanging in the closet were a few old dresses that looked like they hadn't moved in years. Her dad's laptop sat on a little pink end table, and the lamp that provided light when the ceiling light wasn't on had a very light purple shade, and it was made of glass with seashells in it.

She thought how much it must hurt him to look at all his mother's old things, to sleep in the same bed he had slept with her in. Then she thought of having all of Kagami's things, and everything she had ever associated with Kagami, but no Kagami there to enjoy it with her. Suddenly the fullness in her heart was gone.

Thinking how miserable she would be without Kagami to love her, and keep her strong. To not even have that piece of Kagami's heart that resided within her, stopping her from giving in to despair even now. Kona looked at her dad with tears forming in her eyes, and asked, "How do you do it dad? How can you keep going on without her?"

The box was open in Sojiro's lap, and Kona reached out, and took a light purple ribbon. It called out to her, it was absolutely beautiful in her eyes. It was almost the same shade as Kagami's hair, and Kona loved it. She took it from the box, and a ring fell out of the small carefully wrapped bundle that was this ribbon. The same thing had happened last time, and her father had played it off, like it was a lost piece of junk. Now she could see it was a beautiful ring, even if small. The diamond was still shiny, and the ring looked well polished.

Sojiro picked it out of the bundle, and placed it carefully in with the earrings in the box, before saying, "That ribbon was her favorite. I want you to have it. It's been my second most prized possession since she died. The first is the ring. It was her wedding ring. You ask me how I can keep on going without her? Yeah, it hurts, but you know, she's not really gone. I can still remember how happy she looked when we bought all these things to decorate our house. I remember how happy she looked after I kissed her on our wedding day. Still, none of that compares to how happy she was the first time she held you in her arms. Every time I look at you Konata, I feel the same joy as the first time I held you. I never really knew what joy was before you were born. You were the most important thing to both of us. I can keep on going because I loved her. She's a part of me, and she'll be alive as long as we remember her. Even more than that though, I can keep on going because of you. It's worth any kind of hurt or loneliness to see you happy, and seeing you happy makes me happy. Konata I promise you I'll be here for as long as you need me. Kanata will always be here for you too, whether you can see her or not."

"Daddy..." whispered Kona as she hugged him, letting her tears slowly slide down her face. He kissed her lightly on the forehead like he used to do all the time when she was little, and held his daughter close.

The blue haired man said, "Just always remember she loved you as much as I do. Never forget that if she had had any choice in the matter, she would have been here for you every single day of your life, and told you how much she loved you so often it would have driven you crazy."

Kona responded quietly, "I'll remember."

Sojiro turned Konata around, and began tying the ribbon into her hair, when he was finished she stood up, and went to a standing mirror in the corner of his room, and spun around, loving how cute she looked. She knew it would drive Kagami crazy seeing her like that. Kona smiled a big warm smile at her father, feeling her heart swell again, appreciating how lucky she was that Kagami wasn't gone. That she could call her, and ask if she was doing okay, or if she wanted to hang out, or even watch something on television, and talk about it.

Konata led the way downstairs, and showed off the ribbon to Nanako, and Yutaka. Soon the pizza was delivered, and they all sat down to eat. They chatted happily, not worried about what the others would think if they talked about a certain subject that seemed stupid. They would just laugh, and love each other. They were family.

In a certain Hiiragi residence though, the atmosphere was not so relaxing and warm. Kagami exclaimed loudly while tugging at her unkempt hair, "GAAAH! What am I going to wear?"

"It's alright Kagami, just calm down, we'll find something cute for you," replied Matsuri trying not to laugh at how crazy Kagami seemed, throwing everything out of her closet, and tying her hair up in a bunch of different ways with a bunch of different ribbons.

Kagami tried on a pink dress, and tied her hair into a ponytail with a pink ribbon done in a simple tie. She walked out of her room where Inori, Miki, and Tadao were waiting nervously after hearing the elder Hiiragi twin's outburst.

Inori took a moment to respond after seeing the fierce look in Kagami's eyes. She said, "Well, it's very pretty-"

She was cut off by Kagami saying, "Jeez, you took half a minute to respond since you were recovering from how ugly this getup is, just be honest. Too much pink, right?"

Tadao opened his mouth to respond, but Kagami just silenced him by saying, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

With that she quickly disappeared back into her room. The three outside heard muffled shouts, and things hitting the floor. For all they knew, Kagami had gone in there, and started killing things. Inori smiled, and said, "She's really still pretty childish sometimes, huh?"

Miki chuckled, and said, "Oh, like you were any better the night before your first date."

Inori looked defensive, and said, "I know I may have been a little nervous, and maybe even bossy, but I was nothing like that!"

Tadao then chimed in, "Sure you were, young lady, I remember you'd keep saying loud enough for the whole world to hear-"

Tadao was cut off by Kagami yelling, "The first date is the most important one! It has to be perfect! I have to look perfect! Don't you understand!"

Tsukasa was cowering behind Matsuri, peeking out from around her big sister's shoulder, and right now even Matsuri was a little blue in the face. She was waving her hands defensively in front of her, saying, "Hey, Kagami, let's not do anything crazy now, okay? Just put it down."

Kagami was on the other side of the room, but no one could deny how threatening she looked holding the pair of scissors in her clenched hand. She was looking fiercely at Tsukasa, who had never seen her older twin like this before. Despite having grown up a lot recently Tsukasa felt the need of having protection from the scissor wielding Tsundere sizing her up from across the room.

"Kona always talks about how cute Tsukasa and Miyuki are, and I can't look like Miyuki, so if I cut my hair, I can look like Tsukasa, and she'll think I'm cute too," Kagami reasoned aloud, causing Tsukasa to squeak as she realized what Kagami planned with the scissors, and she said, "Don't cut your hair. I...uhhh...I heard Kona-chan talking about how much she loves your twintails. I think you should just put them down, or hand them, over to Matsuri."

Matsuri quickly shook her head, not wanting this frightening Kagami to approach her with any sort of possible weapon, and said, "I think you should just put them down too...slowly."

Kagami had already dropped the scissors though, and was looking at her twintails in the mirror, stroking them, and saying fondly, "Kona's so sweet. I guess that's another reason I need to look my best."

Matsuri sighed with relief, and heard Tsukasa doing the same as they saw Kagami calm down at having received a made up compliment from Konata. Soon Kagami had all her dresses laid out, and she picked a blue one, thinking it would be perfect since it matched Konata's hair. It was also pretty short, and ended just above her knees. Kagami reasoned that since Konata was a pervert, something sexy like that would have her little Otaku going wild.

She tied her twintails back up using two yellow ribbons, and stalked back outside to see what her parents, and Inori thought. When Kagami walked out, Miki said, "That's very pretty Kagami."

Tadao was about to agree with Miki, but Kagami interrupted him as he started to speak, saying, "Really, mom? What do you think Inori?"

Inori said how she felt, and immediately realized her mistake, after she told Kagami, "Don't you think some purple ribbons would go prettier with that dress? The dress matches your eyes, so why not have ribbons that match your hair?"

The Tsundere girl looked disappointed, and said, "Yeah, I knew this outfit wasn't any good. I need to go try on another."

She quickly left before Tadao could say his piece on the outfit. Soon she returned in a red dress with pink ribbons, only for Matsuri to tell her, "You are NOT wearing that. That's my prom dress! How did you even get it?"

Soon Kagami was back in her casual clothes, she was wearing a black skirt with a pink button up shirt, and her whole family was comforting her as she despaired over not having anything decent to wear for her first date. The room was silent for a few moments, and as it was starting to become awkward, Tadao said, "I...uhhh...I like the pink dress you had on first, but why not wear it with those blue ribbons Tsukasa got you for your birthday, so it'll match her hair?"

Kagami looked at her dad in silence for a few moments. Then her face brightened just as he thought she was going to tell him that was a horrible idea, and he was really old fashioned. Instead she hurried everyone out of the room, and soon came out changed as Tadao had suggested. She did a couple spins to show off her cute outfit. The dress had spaghetti straps that showed off her slender shoulders and the tops of her arms.

Kagami loved it, and everyone smiled, and nodded their approval, and told Kagami how cute she looked. It was eight-thirty in the evening as Kagami put away the dress for use the next day. She relaxed on her bed, feeling incredibly happy, and smiling, despite mentally attacking herself for getting so giddy in anticipation.

To make things even better, the phone rang downstairs, and the Tsundere heard her mom call out that it was that sweet little Otaku on the phone. The lavender haired girl quickly ran downstairs ready to tell her blue haired angel how much she was loved, and how much Kagami was looking forward to their date the next day.

Kagami took the phone, and said into the receiver, "Hey beautiful."

The Tsundere could picture her cute girlfriend blushing at the compliment, like she always did when Kagami so was so upfront about her love for the smaller girl. Kagami could hear laughter in the background, and Konata said, "Yeah, guys I'll be back to play in just a minute, hold on."

The younger girl smiled, it sounded like Kona was having a fun time at her house. It made her really happy that Konata was happy, and she could hear in the smaller girl's voice how much better she was doing just since that morning.

Konata said to Kagami, "Hey Kagamin, I just wanted to tell you not wear a dress tomorrow, okay? Love you, bye."

With that Kona hung the phone up to get back to whatever good time she was having in her party. There were a few moments of silence as Kagami returned the phone to its resting place, then she screamed.

* * *

Author's Note: I had a great time writing this chapter. I really love writing about families being close. Unfortunately it took a while to get this out since it was the final production week for Cyrano De Bergerac. It was received well, and I would have had this out a few hours earlier, but I fell asleep typing it after the final show night.

I may still be really busy at the Butcher Shop, but at least I'll no longer have rehearsals distracting me from working on this story. I hope I found all the spelling and grammar errors here since I did a pretty intense edit of this chapter, but please tell me any mistakes you see so I can not only correct them, but not make them again in the future.

As always, thank you very much for reading this story even though my updates have been taking unacceptable long, and I hope you continue to enjoy my writing.


	27. Date Day!

Chapter 27 Date Day!

Kagami rose immediately as soon as she felt her train slowing down. She and Konata were supposed to be meeting just outside the train station, but Kagami was pretty sure her girlfriend would be late. That would give the Tsundere a chance to gather her composure, and plan things to talk about. A knot of nervousness had tied itself into her stomach now that the time of her first date had finally come.

The lavender haired girl kept telling herself that everything would be fine. She had gone out with Kona a thousand times before, and they always had fun. Another part of her mind kept wondering if she was even pretty enough for her girlfriend, and she was worried Kona wouldn't like how she looked.

Kagami exited the train, and looked around. She didn't see any telltale ahoge, or even a streak of blue hair in the crowd, so it seemed Konata would be arriving late after all. Kagami had finally decided on an outfit the night before. After a lot of deliberation she had decided on wearing a long sleeved pink dress shirt, not tucked in to her favorite pair of blue jeans.

She had her twin tails tied up in the blue ribbons Tsukasa had given her for her birthday a while back, and now that Kagami was approaching the exit of the building, she felt sick inside. Kagami knew Konata was going to look beautiful, and once more she was worrying about whether or not Kona would think she was attractive.

Kagami stepped out of the train station, and onto the familiar and busy streets. The sky above was a dark gray, and was filled with storm clouds, leaving the Tsundere to pray once again that no rain came at least until they made it to Konata's house. That was another thought that made her nervous. She was going to spend an entire night...with Konata...alone.

The thoughts of things that could end up happening between them made Kagami's face turn red. She doubted much of what she was imagining would happen since Konata hadn't even kissed her on the lips yet, but the thoughts were still there. Kagami looked around, hoping to find a nice place to sit, but before she could find a bench she spotted a small figure, looking around in a lost manner.

Kagami began walking towards the figure wearing a blue dress that matched her hair. The girl Kagami was approaching was easily recognizable to the Tsundere, even without her ahoge sticking up. Konata's hair was tied back into a ponytail with that same ribbon she had worn to the competition they had been in. Her hair was lovely in Kagami's opinion.

The younger girl admired Konata's figure as she approached with Konata facing the other way so she couldn't see Kagami. A smile found its way onto the older twin's face as she noticed how cute her girlfriend looked from behind. Konata's little red purse swung a little as Konata kept looking from her left to her right. It was unintentional, Kagami had planned to just walk up, and say, "Hi," but her arms moved on their own as they wrapped around the little Otaku from behind.

The dress was silky, and Kona was soft in the Tsundere's arms. Kagami's right arm worked its way around Konata's waist, while the left one fitted itself around the smaller girl's stomach. Kagami gently pulled the older girl in, and hugged her closely, enjoying the way her hair smelled like strawberries. What Kagami enjoyed most though was the surprised squeak Konata gave out when Kagami had grabbed her.

It only took Kona a moment to realize who was holding her. No one else made her feel so warm inside just by touching her. Konata relaxed back against Kagami's body, and said, "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah," whispered Kagami into her girlfriend's ear, loving the way Konata trembled slightly when she felt the Tsundere's breath on her neck.

Kona heard a roar similar to that of a train, and her stomach felt as if it were floating up into her throat. She loved this feeling only Kagami could give to her. The little Otaku closed her eyes for a moment as she relaxed against Kagami, and whispered, "Just a little bit longer."

Konata turned around, still in Kagami's arms, and hugged the bigger girl back before saying, "Okay then, let's go!"

Konata wore a little smile after her exclamation, and Kagami just kept thinking about how cute the little Otaku was as Kona grabbed her hand, and started leading Kagami away from the train station so they could get started with their date.

The two of them walked along, well Kagami more stumbled after the excited Otaku as Konata pulled her along, not seeming to care that she was rushing. At first the younger girl thought Konata's excited mannerisms were cute, but they got irritating pretty fast . Soon Kagami pulled on Konata's hand to slow her, and said, "Hey. The city isn't going anywhere, there's no need to rush through everything."

Kona chuckled, and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just wanted to get through as many manga stores as possible since we're working on a schedule here."

Kagami smiled, and said, "We have plenty of time. Besides, today is supposed to be about us being together, not about rushing through the manga stores so you can see all the new releases."

Konata was taken aback at Kagami's answer, but then she smirked, and said, "So, you wouldn't mind terribly if we were late for that cake buffet?"

Kagami smiled, which confused Kona since she had been hoping for a more annoyed reaction out of her girlfriend, and said, "Oh no, you're not getting on my nerves today. Today we're going to be happy, everything's going to be perfect, so I'll just pretend your dumb remarks are heartfelt compliments."

Kagami loved the surprised look on her little girlfriend's face. The remark had indeed annoyed her, but now Kagami was coming to see why Konata always tried to get reactions out of people. Doing unexpected things, and surprising Konata was leading to some very cute facial expressions. The lavender haired girl felt like she might be developing a bit of a sadistic streak.

Kagami felt like just teasing the older girl, and seeing all the different cute faces her little Kona could make. She settled for walking ahead, while still holding Konata's hand. The blue haired girl walked beside her as Kagami set a slower pace towards the manga stores, and soon the Tsundere felt Kona leaning against her.

Konata smiled up at her Tsundere, and said, "I guess going a little slower isn't so bad."

The two girls received many odd looks, but no one said anything to them as they walked. They stood out a lot being the only ones holding hands, and strolling on the entire street, but neither of them cared, as long as the other was happy.

Konata spotted the first manga store. It was a little one she hadn't been to in a while, so she tugged on Kagami's arm, and the two girls headed inside. It was a little crowded, but after going to Comiket, a crowded store wasn't much of a deterrent for either of them. Every twenty seconds Konata would bring some manga back from the shelves, and start telling Kagami all about it.

Some were actually sounding pretty interesting, but most of them bored the Tsundere out of her mind. What she wasn't bored of, was watching Kona's eyes start glittering each time she found something she hadn't expected in the shop. The blue haired girl made an effort to dig through all the bargain bins just in case something amazing was hidden in their depths.

As the two girls were leaving the first shop a boy by the entrance raised a camera, and snapped a picture of the two girls, surprising them. They moved on since that wasn't a completely rare sight in this part of town, but Kagami didn't like the way the boy ran over to his friends, and began talking excitedly about something while pointing at the two girls.

They browsed around multiple shops, passing time until they would join the line in front of the new cake buffet when it opened. Not just manga shops were visited. Konata also ran into shops with cute looking merchandise. Kagami was content to just follow along, but she couldn't hide her blush as she noticed the cuteness of the stuffed animals in one particular shop.

There were stuffed bears holding hearts in the windows, and penguins wearing top hats with little bow ties on their necks. The Tsundere smiled as she held a really cute stuffed pony with a little pink heart on its chest. She turned around to show Konata, and immediately began laughing.

Her little Otaku was holding a big stuffed polar bear with blue eyes, and a smiling face. It was much bigger than Konata, and the otaku was trying to balance it, and stumbling left and right as she approached Kagami with the bear. The blue haired girl was laughing, and shouted, "Hey Kagamin! I bet Tsukasa would love this thing! We should totally get it for her!"

Kagami's mind was filled with an image of Tsukasa lying on top of the big polar bear, and hugging it. Her bed would be useless if she had something like that, and yet Kagami was tempted on buying it since she knew her sister would indeed love such a thing. Kagami had to be realistic though, and said, "If you have the money, you can get it for her, but you're going to be the one carrying it around all day."

Konata did a spin still holding the bear up, and attracting a lot of attention. Many people wanted to watch the cute little girl playing with the oversized bear. Even the clerk of the store was watching with a big smile on her face. Konata overbalanced, and fell over backwards with the bear on top of her. Kagami laughed loudly as all she could see was a the big bear lying face down with some blue hair spilling out from under it. Konata's arms were raised towards the ceiling on both sides of the bear, and she exclaimed, "Kagamin! Help!"

The Tsundere quit laughing, and just smiled as she approached the downed Otaku. She stood over Konata saying, "You can lift it yourself, you were just dancing with it you goof."

Kagami heard a groan from under the bear, and could only imagine the cute face that accompanied it. Konata replied, "Yeah, but I want you to save me Kagamin."

The Tsundere facepalmed even as her heartbeat quickened at Kona's response. She reached down, and lifted the bear off of Konata, who made a scene of catching her breath, like she had been suffocating under the great ten pound weight. Kagami replaced the giant stuffed animal on its stand, and the two left the store still giggling.

As they left the store though, Kagami noticed a few more people taking pictures of them. Something seemed off to the younger girl, and she didn't like too many people paying attention to them, it was going to scare Konata. With that thought, Kagami's left arm wrapped around her girlfriend's waist, and the Tsundere pulled Kona in close to her in a protective manner as they walked away from the three guys taking pictures of them.

Konata picked up on the tension in Kagami, and looked up to her, saying worriedly, "What's wrong? Are you not having fun?"

Those worried looking emeralds made Kagami hate herself for a moment. Her getting lost in thoughts was ruining the happy mood. Kagami made up her mind to focus on having a great time with Konata, but a distant rumble of thunder seemed to contradict her thoughts. Kona suddenly changed direction, and headed across the street, Kagami followed behind, wondering what had caught her little Otaku's attention.

It was unexpected that Konata went into a regular book store. It was a fairly large store, it seemed like a miniature library complete with tall shelves with foot stools available for people to reach things on top. Kagami raised a questioning eyebrow at the Otaku, and Kona said, "You like this kind of thing, right? Books without pictures, and stuff."

Konata was worrying that Kagami was getting bored with her, that was obvious, if it wasn't for Kagami's sake, the Tsundere knew Kona would never set foot in this store. Even so, the gesture made Kagami really happy, and she began browsing the books with Konata trailing around behind her. The younger girl made her way over to a section that had books on law.

Despite being on their date, Kagami wanted to look at a few. These books weren't like the others in the store. They all had plain spines with no decorations, and the ones on the used shelf looked really old and dusty. It was a surprise when Konata gasped as they passed the used books shelf, and Kagami turned to see what had gotten her attention.

Kona stood looking up at some of the leather bound books with ribbon book markers hanging out of them, and then she turned to Kagami, and said, "Wow. Those old books look really cool. I bet somewhere in there, I could find a book of magic or something. Then I could make us rich, and then we could go out and do stuff like this every day."

The blue haired girl nodded to herself as she spoke, and Kagami couldn't help but chuckle at her companion's train of thought. Soon enough though it was time to move on. Konata was secretly relieved to be out of there, but she didn't let on to that fact.

They strolled around for a little while, looking for something else to occupy their time before the Cake buffet started, but when they passed by Gamer's, wondering if they should check it out, Kona stopped suddenly.

Kagami walked forwards for a couple steps before she realized Kona had stopped, and turned back to see Kona's profile. The little Otaku's hair was blown up by the wind, and Kagami felt her mind drifting back to holding her girlfriend close, and smelling her hair. The younger girl wondered how she had gone years without realizing how beautiful Konata was.

Konata was intently staring at something posted on the big windows at the entrance of Gamer's. Kagami followed her girlfriend's gaze after walking over, and putting her right arm around Konata's hip. A few more people took pictures of them, the flashes giving away the photographer's positions, but Konata didn't shy away, she turned to look at Kagami.

The Otaku stared up into Kagami's eyes, there was the faintest trace of a blush on her face. On the window Kagami couldn't really believe what she was seeing. A huge smile was now on Konata's face. The Tsundere had thought it would be a little flier or something as an advertisement. Not a huge poster taking up the front window of the store.

Kona hugged Kagami tightly, and looked back at the poster. The two girls stared at themselves on the night of the competition. Kagami's face was fierce, there was obvious emotion in her eyes that Konata recognized as a look her Tsundere gave before outright anger. Konata was holding onto Kagami's arm with a deep blush on her face, wearing a pink dress, and a lens flash had caught her eyes, making them look like they were sparkling.

Kagami looked down at her Otaku, and noticed a tear rolling down the smaller girl's cheek. The lavender haired girl finally managed to shut her hanging jaw, and say, "What's the matter Konata?"

Kona grinned at her girlfriend, and said, "Your face...in the picture."

Kagami examined the picture that had won the competition for them weeks before, and didn't see anything weird about her face. She thought the picture was cute, she even still had their smaller copy in her wallet. Kona's grip tightened on Kagami as she hugged away with all her might.

Kagami looked back and forth between her girlfriend, and their picture advertising a new anime. Then Kagami focused on her love completely. She brushed some of Konata's hair out of the smaller girl's eyes, and said, "It's no wonder we won the competition, you're really beautiful."

Konata's face went absolutely scarlet when Kagami said that, and began stammering nervously. After a few moments she caught her breath, and regained her composure before saying, "That's the same face you made at school. When everyone was watching me. So...did you..."

Konata trailed off as her face went red again. Kagami smiled, she knew what her girlfriend had been going to say. She responded, "Yeah... even back then I guess I did. I never really realized it, all I know is that one day, I felt like I should always just try to make you happy."

Kagami looked down into Konata's eyes again. There were people watching them intensely now, they were easily recognizable from the picture. They stared at each other for a while. Kagami could feel her heart beating in her throat. Kona watched the bigger girl longingly. Finally Kagami relaxed her grip, and felt Konata doing the same. Kagami said quietly to her girlfriend, "I would do anything to make you happy Kona."

Those words moved through Konata like a shock wave, and Kagami actually felt the smaller girl tremble in her arms. Kagami felt like she needed to do something right there, but in the haze of emotions she was feeling for Konata, her mind seemed to have shut down. She could barely think coherent sentences as she loosely had her arms wrapped around the back of Konata's waist.

The little Otaku's red purse swung as Konata moved away from Kagami, smiling. She said sweetly, "I guess its about time to head to that buffet then, right?"

"Huh?" replied Kagami still in a daze.

Konata responded, "Well, we've been standing here staring at each other for about ten minutes, and now that I think about it, I'm not really interested in going inside, why don't we just head to the buffet a little early, and get a better spot in line?"

Kagami felt a little empty now that Konata wasn't in her arms anymore. She wanted to hug Konata for a good while yet, but she realized this wasn't a very good place for it. Most people didn't show affection like that in public anyways. They had probably made more than a few people uncomfortable.

Kagami quickly caught up to her girlfriend, and the two began strolling casually, although they hardly talked on the way to the cake buffet. The silence wasn't awkward, Kagami knew her mind was a jumble. They had been really close there for a second, and Kagami knew she had missed something. Konata didn't seem to be disappointed or angry with her though, so Kagami pushed it to the back of her mind for later review.

The new restaurant was only three blocks down from Gamer's so it didn't take very long to reach it. The line also wasn't nearly as long Kagami had thought it would be. Most of the people in line were talking excitedly about the types of cake that were served there. One man at the head of the line who was wearing a uniform was glancing nervously between the line and the sky, probably hoping the rain that would inevitably be there wouldn't come while everyone was lined up, then their business would drop on the first day.

Konata and Kagami took their place at the back of the line, and began their period of waiting. It only took five minutes for Konata to start getting restless though, She started moaning about how she hated lines. The Otaku would pace three steps away from Kagami, and then back into her place over and over. After pacing for almost ten minutes, Konata leaned against Kagami's front, with her arms over the Tsundere's shoulders. Kagami turned red for a moment, not expecting such an awkward hug, but Konata just groaned, and said, "Pick me up Kagamin. I can't take just standing here anymore."

The thing that surprised Kagami the most about the statement was that she actually started to pick Konata up before she realized what she was doing, and said, "No way! If I have to stand, then so do you, besides, I can't hold you up for fifteen more minutes, my arms will give out."

"Then just let me hang on your back again," pleaded the annoyed smaller girl.

Kagami placed her hand on top of Konata's forehead, and said, "You'll be fine Kona. Stop acting like a baby, we'll be in soon."

Kona turned her back on Kagami, and then huffed in an exaggeratedly annoyed manner. Kagami smiled, it was obvious the smaller girl was just restless, and she wanted Kagami to pay attention to her to pass the time. Kagami got a few odd looks as she leaned on top of Konata's head, and smiled down at her girlfriend, but she didn't notice them. All she had eyes for was the cute way Kona tried to push her off in an annoyed manner, and after failing, she relaxed, and said, "You should be shorter Kagamin."

It annoyed Konata a little more when she received a chuckle in response, she was really starting to worry that Kagami would never be angry with her again. She forgot all about that though when she risked a glance upwards, and saw Kagami's happy, smiling face. That sight eased all the tension out of the smaller girl, because she knew Kagami was smiling just for her.

After a few moments in that position though, Konata suddenly moved away from Kagami, whirling around to face the Tsundere with an overly exaggerated look of shock on her face, and pointing an accusing finger. Kagami couldn't help but wonder what her little Otaku was thinking, and was surprised at how calm she was. Usually that sort of action would have annoyed her to no end, but she barely felt agitated at all. It was their first date, and they loved each other, so in Kagami's mind not much could aggravate her, or ruin the day.

"ROLE REVERSAL!" shouted Konata, who got many stares, as well as surprising Kagami who hadn't expected a full shout.

Kagami answered back, "What are you talking about, Kona?"

Konata raised a finger showing Kagami that she was explaining something she thought was simple, in a manner that slightly irked Kagami since she didn't like being treated like a child even by Konata. Then Kona said, "You've been acting all relaxed., and not responding to my jabs. It threw my game off, and now I'm the one getting all flustered, and loveable. Now I've seen through it though. You really are annoyed under that calm facade!"

At some point the statement had become less accusatory, and more a dramatic speech, but Kagami couldn't help it. She felt annoyed, she really did, but she couldn't act on it like she usually did. Kona was just too cute. The blue haired girl still had her finger raised, and was wearing a mock intense look now that made Kagami's mind go blank from the cuteness.

The Tsundere once again placed a hand on Konata's forehead, but this time she just ruffled Konata's hair a little, and said, "Jeez, Konata. How beautiful can one person be?"

The younger girl's stomach knotted up, she hadn't meant to voice that thought, no matter how much she loved the redness in her girlfriend's face. Konata wasn't blushing though. She was staring at Kagami in a confused manner. She had utterly missed the compliment in that sentence, and instead offered an answer to what she was thinking was actually a question. Kona replied, "I guess a person can only get to be about as beautiful as you. At least I've never seen anyone prettier than you, so that's what I think."

The Tsundere then felt something she hadn't felt much at all that day. She felt the familiar heat in her cheeks that she got when Konata was teasing her. Her heart started pounding really quickly along with it. When the burning receded, Konata was waving her hand in front of Kagami's face, saying, "Hey Kagamin. You're spacing out again. Are you alright?"

Kagami finally could bring herself to feel annoyed at the smaller girl, and she said forcefully, "Don't just suddenly say things like that!"

The blue haired girl hugged Kagami as soon as the words left her mouth, crying out, "My Kagamin! Tsun-Tsun is back! I hate it when she disappears for long periods of time."

Now Kagami was the one trying to fend off contact as her face got more heated. It wasn't until a young woman behind them cleared her throat very loudly, did the two of them realize the restaurant was letting people inside. The two girls quickly rushed inside, and requested a seat in the back corner. The rules were just like a traditional cake buffet, but it was newer, and it was very enjoyable going somewhere a little bit different.

Kagami was particularly pleased that there was a drink bar as part of the buffet as well, so that people could pick out whichever type of drink they liked, and not have to wait on someone to refill their glasses. Kagami grabbed a plate, and immediately started picking out the cakes that looked like they would taste the best, while Konata just started grabbing stuff, wanting to try everything at least once.

So when the two of them returned, Kagami had a neat looking plate with six small cuts of cake, and Konata returned with a bunch of different types just piled on top of each other. Kagami couldn't help but notice Konata quickly got crumbs all over her face, and when she had finished her first plate of food, she didn't even bother to wipe them from her face.

The Tsundere was particularly tickled when she noticed that Kona had a bit of cream sitting on the tip of her nose. Kagami didn't say anything about it as revenge for the earlier embarrassment Konata had caused her. Soon the two of them were both leaning back, patting their stomachs though, and wishing they hadn't eaten so much.

Konata had been drinking milk with her cake, and Kagami had preferred the tea. Konata's preference on drink made Kagami secretly happy. Her girlfriend was such a kid sometimes. The blue haired girl noticed Kagami's small chuckle, and said, "Hey, what are you laughing at?"

Kagami groaned, not wanting to answer honestly, and replied, "I was just thinking about how these places are a trap. I don't even care about my weight right now, but they advertise as much delicious food as you can eat, even though they know eating as much as you can will hurt."

Kona tilted her head slightly to the right, pondering on what Kagami had just said, and then she grinned, and said, "So...it's a trap?"

Kagami nodded, and said, "It's a trap."

Konata started chuckling, and then started outright laughing, it seemed something Kagami had said had stricken Konata as very funny. Konata managed to get out between small bursts of laughter, "A trap she says. You know what you should do to avoid them in the future Kagamin?"

The smaller girl was covering her mouth now, trying to physically suppress her giggles, it was becoming contagious, and now Kagami could feel the corners of her own lips curving upwards in a smile. Kagami giggled a little as she responded, "No, what?"

"Do a barrel roll!" exclaimed Konata loudly before pressing her head against the table, trying fruitlessly to stop her giggles leaking out.

Kona seemed to think she had done something hilarious, and there were a couple tears leaking from her eyes from the effort of not laughing unrestrained, and embarrassing Kagami. The Tsundere on the other hand was now the confused one, but she couldn't get angry. Not when Kona looked so happy. Kagami smiled at her little girlfriend until the smaller girl calmed down.

"Sorry about that," said Konata when her composure was regained.

"It's fine, I don't understand what's so funny though," responded Kagami hoping Konata would explain it.

It seemed the little Otaku had no intention of explaining it though, because she just said, "One day you'll understand. I figure once we're living together you'll hear it all the time if its still popular then."

Kagami suddenly felt very relaxed. She didn't understand why though, normally a statement like that would have her flustered, but she was busy imagining how great it would be to have a private place where she could hold Konata as much as she wanted, and kiss her, and...

That's where Kagami got flustered, but she was still happy. The Tsundere said, "So, you're already planning on mooching off of me, huh?"

Kona could tell that was just her Tsun-Tsun teasing, she hadn't missed how happy Kagami had looked at the mention of them living together. Konata replied though, and said, "Don't worry Kagamin. I can carry my own weight. Besides, I know you'd love to have my cooking every day."

The Tsundere responded back, "Yeah, I would love it. I'd probably get fat really fast if I had you making all kinds of food every day though."

Kona smiled, and then Kagami asked her seriously, "Hey Kona? Have you ever thought about maybe opening a restaurant? I know it has nothing to do with games and anime, but I know its Tsukasa's dream, it would be really great if the two of you could work together on it. Especially since both of you are such great cooks."

Konata honestly hadn't ever considered the possibility of being a chef. She loved cooking, but it had just never occurred to her, even so, she didn't like where this conversation was going, so she told Kagami with equal seriousness, "We need to sit down sometime, and I'll tell you all about my plans for the future Kagami. I do have a few dreams, and I'd be happy following any one of them, and helping you do anything you want to do, but let's save that talk for later okay? This is our first date, and I'd really like for us to just focus on being with each other for now, the hard questions can come later, okay?"

The younger girl hadn't expected such a serious response, but she couldn't deny anything Kona said. She just wanted to be with Konata right then, and not worry about where they'd be in ten years. For right then, they had each other, and that was enough for both of them.

Soon their time at the cake buffet expired, and Konata paid the bill, insisting that she wanted it to be her treat. Kagami objected once, but Kona silenced her by saying she just wanted to make everything really special for Kagami. They exited the building with their stomachs full, and looking forward to going to the park. They were both pretty sure the kite flying event had been canceled because of how the weather was looking, but they still just wanted to sit, and enjoy each other's company.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Kagami put her finger on the tip of Kona's nose, and wiped the cream there off, and then ate it off her finger. Kagami laughed when Konata realized what she had done, and then said in false anger, "Hey! That was mine! I was saving it for later!"

The laughter stopped as a loud crack of thunder rumbled through the town, bringing up some bad memories for Konata, as well as even more happy ones as she thought about it. The rain began falling only a few moments later. Kagami groaned loudly as they both took cover in a small shop. A few other people had done the same thing as them. It was raining, but it wasn't quite a torrent.

Even so, it didn't look like the rain would let up anytime soon. Saying Kagami was upset would be an understatement. She couldn't believe nature would conspire so viciously against her. The Tsundere hadn't even brought an umbrella, putting her faith in that love would triumph, and it would hold off until they finished most of the date.

Kona's heart sunk as she saw the disappointment so evident in her lover. She really felt bad, not because it was raining, she didn't care that it was raining so long as she was with Kagami. The Otaku felt like she had failed. It was their first date, and Kagami wasn't happy. Konata couldn't stand the unhappiness the other girl was positively radiating.

The two of them retreated to a little corner of the china shop they had entered. The two owners of the store had been nice enough to put out chairs they had in back for people to sit on, and wait for the rain to clear up. They didn't have to stay since Konata had an umbrella in her purse, but Kona wanted to make Kagami happy before they tried to go do anything else.

They sat in two chairs off by themselves, Kagami was still wearing a happy face, but Kona seemed unusually aware of the other girl's feelings. She saw right through that mask. Kagami said halfheartedly, "I guess we can't go have more fun until the rain stops. I didn't bring an umbrella."

Konata responded, "I brought one. We don't have to stay here if you're not happy here."

Kagami smiled a forced smile, and was about to respond, but Konata cut her off, saying, "Kagamin. What's wrong? Tell me."

The Tsundere's eyes widened just for a moment, and then she said, "Nothing's wrong, Kona. Everything is fine."

Kagami felt bad, there was a hurt look on Kona's face. She knew Konata had seen through her lie, it just made her feel worse that she had hurt her girlfriend on top of their date being ruined. She was never going to be able to make Konata love her at this rate. Kagami sighed, and said, "I'm sorry. I'm making things worse."

The little Otaku smiled, and said, "Not for me. I'm really happy just knowing you wanted to come be with me all day."

Kona put her arm around Kagami, and pulled her in close so that her Tsundere could rest on Konata's right shoulder. Kagami was really quiet for a while, they listened to the raindrops fall, and the muffled conversations of the people in the building with them. Finally after ten minutes of just sitting there with Konata holding her, Kagami said, "It was supposed to be perfect. I had to make sure it was perfect no matter what."

Kona looked at her girlfriend quizzically before saying, "I don't see why. I'm really having fun, as far as I'm concerned, it's still a great first date, just lighten up, and let me make you feel better Kagamin."

The Tsundere hid her face in Kona's shoulder, and said, "That's not how it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to make you feel better."

Konata responded, "You can make me feel a lot better if you cheer up some, Kagami. I just want to spend time with you, we can even talk about homework, I just want you to be my happy Kagamin again, okay? Why did everything have to go just right anyways? Can't our date be perfect even if the schedule gets messed up?"

Kagami squeezed Konata back, loving how warm the other girl made her feel. Konata was so sweet, here Kagami was killing the mood, and Kona just smiled, and said everything was fine. It just reminded her of how much she was hurting inside. If Konata wanted the truth though, she would get it. Kagami said quietly, "I planned it all out, it was going to be perfect. I knew if we got through today no problem I could make you see how sorry I am. I just want you to forgive me for hurting you so bad Kona."

The little Otaku supported Kagami with her right arm around the younger girl's back. Her left arm began stroking the top of Kagami's head as the smaller girl sighed, and said, "You're really dumb sometimes Kagamin."

"I know," said Kagami in a distressed voice, letting Konata know just how much Kagami was really hurting. She continued saying, "You already forgave me, and you're really happy, and you love me, I know. Even so, I can't stand knowing I hurt you, this was going to make up for it, or at least make it better. I hate anything that hurts you Kona, even me, I hate, I hate, I-"

Kagami was cut off by Konata's hand covering her mouth. Kona shook her head to signify Kagami was wrong, and she said, "Kagami. Don't ever let me hear you say something like that again, okay? Hating is for bad people, bad people who just want to hurt things, I know you never wanted to hurt anyone. You're not a bad person, you're beautiful, and nice, and I love you."

Kagami had been stopped before she shed a tear, in Konata's opinion a tear from her love would really have ruined the date. She hugged Konata tightly, wanting the older girl to never let her go. She always wanted Konata to make her feel strong. Most of the sadness had disappeared, Kagami couldn't be sad, not if that was what was really hurting her love. Even so, Kagami said quietly, "Even so. The date's still ruined. It's raining, and there isn't anything we can really do except just go back to your place early."

Kona released Kagami, and stood up, offering her hand to the Tsundere, who accepted it, suddenly taken aback by the sense of purpose with which Kona moved. The blue haired girl reached into her purse, and pulled out her red umbrella. She led Kagami out of the shop, and into the rain before she handed her umbrella to Kagami to open, and shield them both.

Kagami was a little confused, but suddenly Kona seemed like her old self again. Her eyes were glimmering, and the cat smile was seemingly permanently attached to her face. Konata led Kagami down the street, as the rain intensified, Kagami became a little worried they'd get soaked. After a few blocks, Kagami stopped, and said, "What are we going Konata? This isn't the way to the station."

Konata looked up into Kagami's face for a few moments in silence. After the few moments Konata's features softened, and she said, "I can't be having my Tsundere all sad. I still have a few hours, so you follow me, and we'll make this the best first date we've ever had!"

Kagami was speechless. Konata was actually still wanting to go through with everything despite not only it raining, but Kagami had nearly had a breakdown. The Tsundere herself felt she would probably have just tried to cheer Konata up at her home if the situation was reversed. Kagami smiled, a real, happy smile. A conventional answer to their date problem had probably never even crossed Konata's mind.

Kagami nodded at her girlfriend, who cheered excitedly. Kona grabbed a hold of Kagami's free hand, and set off into the storm. Onward to adventure.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long as has been the trend lately. I just got an awesome new computer, and was busy moving everything over to it, and besides that I've had quite a stack of video games, and books to catch up on. In the last week, I've beaten FEAR2, Resident Evil 5, and all the Silent Hill games except for some graphic novel one, and shattered memories for the Wii. That on top of working Forty-five hours a week, and typing out my other new story, Killing Star has kept me busy, but here it is.

The next chapter will pick up where this left off, I would have written the whole date, and released it as one chapter, but it may be a while before I have more time to work on this, so I got this out while I could.

As always, a big Thank you to my readers and critics, your advice, and support is making me a much better writer, and hopefully I'll produce better content in the future for you. I'd really love to hear any more advice you guys have to help me improve, so don't hold back on the critique.


	28. Return To Otherworld!

Chapter 28 Return to Otherworld!

The wind howled loudly, it whistled through Kagami's ears, and the umbrella she was holding. The rain pounded loudly against the surface of her rain shield, and yet Konata's laughter was the only thing she could hear. Everything seemed odd. Somehow more real than real. At least more real than anything she had ever experienced. The wet blue hair in front of her was a more beautiful hue than she knew could exist.

Kona's laugh making its way through her ears, and reverberating in her mind was sweet music a professional symphony could only ever hope to achieve. The smile Kagami knew was on her girlfriend's face as she led the Tsundere, running down the sidewalks, emptied of traffic with the rain, it was more beautiful than all the beauty that could possibly exist, even though Kagami couldn't see it herself.

Her breath was short, and a mist rose in front of her face, steaming around her with every exhalation, and being left behind to warm some passerby who would come through, days or years as far as Kagami could tell, later.

Her thoughts were gone, she seemed to be only a vessel for sensory input, her mind could only focus on how amazing she felt as her heart raced along with her feet, feeling the warmth of Konata's breath as it steamed in a similar manner. How could it seem that the bridge their arms made, linked at the hand could be both miles, and inches long? Kagami couldn't figure out.

Somewhere inside, very deep she was hurting, she was hurting because she hurt the most important, and beautiful thing in the world. The beauty had renewed itself though, and come back, not to crush what had caused its pain, but to make it into something beautiful, and to join with it.

As the two ran, the umbrella was pretty useless. The rain found its way around, and under, and even through somehow, wetting both Kagami, and the blue haired angel flying in front of her. A voice reached her, and even though it was a voice she was familiar with, Kagami could swear it was the voice of an angel or deity, its true greatness always lost on her before, but now it echoed through the cavern that was her mind.

The ringing was a cacophony Poe could never imagine, so far from his world it was that if he could glimpse it his sepulcher by the sea would have been a tower in which he dreamed his dreams with his love, singing back to the wind that would steal her away.

"**Have you ever seen rain fall, and known that soon it'll just dry up?**_ **You know it's going back to the sky, but you wonder, how many places has it fallen.** _**Has the same drop ever hit anyone more than once?**_ **Has it touched someone famous, or maybe gone to an awesome concert for free?** _**Maybe it ruined a great manga,**_ **or maybe it was the drop that inspired a great one?"**_

Who could think things like that? Was it a seraph that stooped to spend its time with her? Maybe it was just a little kid with an overactive imagination. The voice was in her mind as she reflected on it. Kagami could feel it though, and knew she heard it more with her heart than her ears. How long had it been since she had run like this? The strain wasn't very much, not with such a strong hand gripping hers, and leading her forward. It gave her more strength than she knew she could have.

"_**It moves on, no matter whether it falls into a beautiful fountain** _**or a garbage dump though.****Maybe it doesn't have a choice, it always has to move on because the world won't wait on it.**_ **I always liked to think it rained on purpose though.** **Like each drop is a little different from every other one, all of them raining for their own reasons."**_

Were they like the rain? Moving on even when they were hurting because that's just how it was? Or were they like the rain that moved on because it knew it loved raining down? It moved on because it hoped to meet a certain raindrop it had seen before again. Kagami had never had such thoughts in her mind before. She couldn't figure out why it was now with the blood rushing through her face, warming her ears as she dreamed on her feet.

"**Yuki-chan said matter can never be created or destroyed, only change shape.**_ **I guess that means that every part of us has been around since the very beginning.** _**Have you ever wondered what are the odds that everything came together just right so that we were born the way we are?**_ **Like if I had gotten some tiny piece of me from one rock instead of another a thousand years ago, would that have made me a different person,** _**or maybe I wouldn't be at all?"**

_You would be._ Kagami's mind chanted it over and over. If she just wasn't then the world wouldn't be either. _Without you there couldn't be anything. At least nothing I would care to live in._

It seemed Kagami's mind was coming alive finally. Different from before, more certain. The Tsundere had no idea why she felt so amazing. Even though she was with the most important thing in the world, she had been with Konata for a long time, and only now her mind had developed enough to see how amazing she really was.

"**If you think about that further though. Wouldn't that mean that everything is alive technically?**_ **Maybe it isn't alive yet, maybe its just waiting to be born.** _**Maybe one day when I'm gone a part of me will be the rain,**_ **and a part of me will be a tree, or a road, and all of my parts will just be waiting our turn, looking for the next time we can all get together, and be us again."**_

Where was the weak and fragile Otaku? Who was this incredible, and adventurous woman latched on to Kagami, pulling her into a strange world full of warmth, and comfort? Kagami wondered if they could possibly be the same person. Somehow Kagami felt like she was talking to someone else, the warmth in the voice was Konata, and yet it was something else entirely.

"_**If all my parts could reform a thousand times into a thousand things,** _**and have to do that times a thousand more times.**_ **I wonder what the odds of them ever returning back to make just me again would be?** **Even if it was like something that happened every hundred years though,** _**I wouldn't want to be me, if you weren't you."**

The movement stopped, and the four of them stood in the rain, panting heavily, their misty breaths mixed, and rose, being caught under the umbrella for a few moments before finding its way through tiny holes to dissipate. The two women looked at each other, Kagami's mind in a jumble, and trying to process what exactly had happened.

Why was everything suddenly so different since they left that china shop? What could a simple run possibly have done to make her feel so incredible?

"That's why the rain always represents Love to me. It's my promise to myself, that I'll always find my way back to you. I never really realized it, but it's possible we've been together thousands of times thinking along those lines," said Konata looking up into her lover's eyes, and smiling broadly even as she panted from the recent exertion.

Kagami looked around, and couldn't determine how long they had been running. The street lights were on even though it wasn't nearly night time. The storm made it seem much darker than it really was. Kagami was suddenly afraid. She had been hearing people who weren't Konata speaking through her girlfriend with the same voice, and love. The Tsundere had even heard the hurt in Konata's voice, she had recognized the Pain she was responsible for.

Those other two were gone now, now they were just her Konata. Her happy, beautiful Konata. Kagami was going to ask a question when Kona suddenly said excitedly, "So that's why they never walked into the light. That's why the rain never touched them even though it was falling everywhere."

"What are you talking about Kona?" said the Tsundere, still in shock from how incredible everything seemed.

Konata squeezed Kagami's hand, and said, "The shadows were hurt. They were always all alone, and wouldn't go into the light. Love wouldn't give up though, so she became rain. She fell everywhere, she blanketed everything, so that they could be together, but her sister was just too scared to accept her."

"Where are we?" said Kagami, she knew she was never going to figure out what her girlfriend was talking about, it was probably some anime, knowing her.

Konata's eyes had seemed sort of glazed as she had looked at Kagami before, but now there was clarity, and the little Otaku looked around, and said, "We're at the park."

Kagami facepalmed, she could have given that answer herself, but Konata hadn't realized Kagami was asking more about why they were at the park. When the Tsundere stated her thought, Kona answered back, "This is where you made me feel better Kagamin, so I thought maybe this is where I could make you happy again."

Happy? Wasn't Kagami happy? Shouldn't she be happy just being with the girl she loved? Kagami couldn't answer the questions, and that made her hurt on the inside. She knew Konata was everything she needed, she knew Kona was more than enough to make her happy forever, but then why wasn't she happy?

Konata started walking, Kagami followed behind her, still holding Konata's right hand in her left. The constant drops, and hammering of the rain on everything around them was unimportant to the two of them. Konata's dress was soaked, and it was clinging really closely, so Kagami could see every little curve of her body.

She had never realized that even though Kona's figure was small, it was very womanly. The curve of her thighs kept attracting the Tsundere's eyes as they walked. The umbrella was more useful now that they weren't moving so quickly, but now any hint of life besides the two girls was gone. No one came to the park while it was raining like this, and they were utterly alone.

The lights along the cement walkway were slowly coming on, and blinking off as particularly heavy clouds came and went over them, changing the amount of light constantly. The whole scene made Kagami remember the last time she had been with Konata in the rain. It had seemed as if the two of them had been the only ones in the world, and yet Kagami hadn't had a hint of loneliness, because she knew even then that as long as her Kona was around, she would be fine.

The sound of cars, and planes couldn't be heard, the tops of building could not be sen in the distance because of the haze. This was a place that only the two of them could possibly discover. A bench was found a little ways into the park, and the two of them sat down on it. Kagami could feel the wetness soaking into the bottom of her jeans.

The lavender haired girl held the umbrella over the two of them, and they just listened to the raindrops hit it, and everything around them. Warmth spread across Kagami as the little Otaku leaned against her shoulder, dextrously wrapping her left arm around Kagami's right, and holding the hand of the same arm with her opposite.

Kagami looked down into the happy face of her little lover, and smiled. Konata smiled back, and said, "I'm really in love with you Kagamin."

Finally Kagami could understand something that was happening as her mind slowly recovered from the numbness that had settled in. She responded, "I know how you feel."

Silence continued for a few minutes. The grass bowed before them weighted by raindrops, and sparkling as the street light came on above them.

"What happened to you Kona?" said Kagami, remembering the different ways Konata had spoken to her.

The small blue haired girl just hugged Kagami's arm tighter, and nuzzled her face against her girlfriend's shoulder, and said, "That was just every part of me, wanting to say we love you. They're not gone, but they found the way out."

The Tsundere had no idea what her little girlfriend was talking about, but she could hear relief in the Otaku's voice. It was obviously a good thing, but she felt something behind those words. Something she needed to ask about.

Kagami asked, "You're still hurting aren't you?"

Konata just nodded her head in response, and Kagami felt her heartbeat slow. That was why she wasn't happy. It was because something was hurting Konata. The younger girl had a feeling that it was her who was hurting the blue haired girl.

"You sure like to feel guilty about stuff, huh?" said Konata, a cat grin making its way across her face.

"I don't see what's so funny about you being hurt," replied Kagami seriously.

The little Otaku chuckled, and said, "You don't get it at all, you're hurting too, aren't you Kagamin?"

The Tsundere nodded, her chest was burning, deep inside she was hurting because she still felt bad about what she had done, nothing could ever take it back, but she wanted to try her hardest to make up for it. Kagami responded, "That's because you're-"

She was interrupted by Konata saying loudly, "Nope."

More silence, Kagami didn't understand, but Konata continued a few moments later, seemingly enjoying keeping her girlfriend in suspense. Konata continued, "It's not my fault you're hurting, and it's not your fault that I am. Hurting is just a part of life Kagami. We hurt when something bad happens, and we never let the hurt go completely away, because we promise ourselves we'll never let that bad thing happen again. We know if we let our pain go completely away we might forget, and get hurt even worse because of it."

Since when did Konata speak in such an intelligent manner? Kagami wasn't sure, but the wisdom of the words weren't lost on her. Sure she was hurting inside, but when Kagami thought about it, she didn't want that hurt to go away completely. She never wanted to forget about what she had done to Konata, if she did, then she might do it again, and that thought terrified her.

Kagami wrapped her right arm around the little Otaku, making the blue haired girl release her grip on the Tsundere's arm, but Konata renewed the hug as she wrapped both her arms around Kagami's torso, and buried her face in the soft belly waiting there.

Rain was still hitting their feet, and legs, but Konata couldn't care less, as she let her face sink in against Kagami's stomach. The younger girl just enjoyed the feeling of Kona resting on her. After a few moments Konata said, "You're really warm. That's something I always loved about you Kagamin. Even when its cold outside, you're always so warm I just want to hold on to you."

At this the Tsundere grinned, and said, "So THAT'S why you always liked to hang on to me before. I always wondered why you were so grabby before we were together."

"Hehe," was Konata's only response.

The two girls stayed that way for nearly ten minutes, just glad to be soaking in each other's warmth. Finally Kagami let Konata go, and placed her right hand on top of the little Otaku's head, saying, "Maybe we should go somewhere else, you're going to get sick all soaked like that."

Konata raised her head from Kagami's stomach, and wrapped both arms around the Tsundere's neck. She looked into Kagami's face, and said, "Sorry I get so crazy all the time."

The lavender haired girl responded, "It's fine Konata. That's something I've always loved about you."

"Oh really?" replied a mischievous looking Otaku.

Kagami knew she was going to regret her previous sentence judging by the smile Konata had, and sure enough, the blue haired girl let go of Kagami, and stood up quickly. Kagami tried to stand up too, and cover her with the umbrella, but Konata placed a hand on her Tsundere's shoulder, and forced her sit, before saying loudly, "Then catch me."

Kona turned, and fled with Kagami immediately rising, and chasing her, yelling, "Kona! You gotta be kidding me. You know I can't catch you!"

The little Otaku didn't respond in words, just laughter as Kagami would chase her, and when she finally got close, the little athlete would speed up, and stay just out of her reach, once again they were both getting soaked, but soon Kagami was laughing too as she chased.

As they entered the playground though, Konata came to a stop, and Kagami immediately wrapped an arm around her girlfriend to stop her from running off again. Now Kagami was really worrying about Konata getting sick. Wearing that dress would have been chilly even without the rain at this time of year, and Kagami also noticed Kona was shivering.

Besides the shivering Konata didn't show any signs of discomfort though, she just turned to face to Kagami, and said, "Whenever I go out in weather like this, I always feel like I'm in a different world, you know. Everyone's gone, and it's all dark, and really cool looking. I don't really care much for thunder and lightning, but just dark and rainy is so awesome. All the shadows seem so huge, and it makes you feel really tiny."

"You are really tiny," Kagami responded, unable to bite it back before the words left her lips.

The little Otaku didn't react to the jab, she only asked, "Are you having more fun now?"

The younger girl gave Konata a confused look before she realized that she had actually forgotten all about how she thought the rain had ruined her date. Konata had managed to make her enjoy the storm maybe even more than she would have enjoyed the kite flying they had originally planned to do here. Suddenly Kagami didn't want to be here anymore. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying herself, she was just overly aware of how likely it was that Konata could catch a cold.

It dawned on Kagami that even if she had been freezing to death out here, Konata wouldn't have given up until Kagami was laughing, and having fun. The younger girl sighed, as she angled the umbrella to cover Konata more than herself, and said, "Hey, why don't we go home now?"

Kagami noted the worried look on Kona's face as she turned to look at Kagami, saying, "You don't want to stay here anymore?"

The younger girl replied, "It's not that at all. I just want to take you some place warm, and dry, so we can just spend the rest of the evening together. Doesn't that sound good?"

"Yeah," said Konata, now moving closer to Kagami, finally seeking the shelter of the umbrella.

Kagami wrapped her free right arm around Kona's shoulders as she led her little girlfriend away from the play area. They walked quietly along until they reached the cement walkway that would lead them back to the entrance they had come through. The younger girl noticed the strained look on Konata's face, and wondered why the smaller girl seemed so tired all of a sudden.

Kagami didn't ask her thoughts, she just squeezed Konata's shoulders a little tighter, letting Kona know if she ever needed it, the Tsundere would be there to support her. The mist started by the rain falling everywhere was now rolling along the streets as the two girl left the park, and started down the path of sidewalks that would lead them to the train station.

Blankets of white rolled through their vision, finally completing the illusion that they were the last two people there. Kagami thought it seemed odd how fog muffled the sounds of their footsteps, making the little taps of their feet echo back at them, while making the rain sound as if it were pouring much more intensely than it actually was.

Very occasionally they would see another pedestrian passing by on the opposite side of the road they followed. Usually looking like a shadow clearing the white from its path as it walked. A big man stirring through the fog, and then slinking down a shady alley between two buildings gave the Tsundere the creeps.

Once on board the train heading towards Konata's station Kagami finally got a good look at her girlfriend in the light. Her hair and dress were completely soaked from running without the protection of the umbrella. The heated cars provided the younger girl with more than a little relief as she watched pink make its way into Konata's cheeks, replacing the white imprinted there by the cold outside. The pretty ribbon she wore was also wet making it appear a darker color than it really was.

Kagami's gaze followed the dress downwards, noticing how closely it clung to Konata. She noticed she could make out the shape of her girlfriend's nipples quite clearly, and almost immediately noticed a couple guys in the car had also noticed it. Anger flowed through the younger girl, and she considered telling the people staring at Konata off, but instead, she pulled her girlfriend in closely, and let Kona rest her head in Kagami's lap.

Konata folded her arms over her chest to block the view of the hounds, and combined with the warmth of Kagami, and the train car, she quickly fell asleep.

Konata dreamed she was hearing rain, but all she could see was white fog everywhere. Suddenly her stomach lifted, and her hair flew up behind her, as Konata recognized the familiar feeling of falling. She fell along with the raindrops, going their speed as she cleared the cloud she had been sleeping in. The blue haired girl examined all the drops around her, wondering why all of them were falling.

It wasn't until she asked the question allowed that she wondered why she herself was falling. The wind pressed in against her face, stopping her from breathing properly. It roared through her ears, as she lost the ability to tell up from down. The raindrops all around her were suddenly people. All people she had seen before, but none of them that she knew. They were all falling together, heading towards the place that only they alone could fall.

Kona's heart was beating so fast it was almost painful, but the small girl was happy as her vision darkened. She wondered where her destined place to fall was, and wondered if she would meet Kagami there. If she didn't Kona made up her mind to dry up, and fall somewhere else, and keep on falling over and over until she was with her love.

Konata closed her eyes, and smiled, no longer able to breathe because of the intense speed she was falling at. Then the whole world shook her awake.

The train rumbled as it stopped, waking Konata from her peaceful slumber. She yawned and stretched cutely as she lifted her head from Kagami's lap, accepting the younger girl's hand as she was pulled up. Kona rubbed her eyes with her right hand as Kagami led her out of the train station. Once the grogginess was past, Konata's face lit up. She remembered she was going home with Kagami. They were going to be together that night.

Her energy expended by the run, and shivering in the cold had been renewed by her nap, and now Konata was almost bouncing with energy as her excitement welled up. The blue haired girl tugged on Kagami's arm, hurrying her out into the storm, and on their way back to where Konata was looking forward to cooking for her girlfriend, and probably cuddling all night.

Konata had managed to get everyone out of the house for this since she wanted to be alone with Kagami. Once outside though, there was a limit to how much rushing Konata could do since Kagami was holding the umbrella. Now that she was out of the heat of the car it dawned on Konata how cold it was getting outside, so she was forced to cling to Kagami for warmth.

The Tsundere was a little irritated with the exaggerated chattering of Konata's teeth, but it was made up for by the smaller girl clinging to her side. Kagami loved the feel of those slender arms wrapped around her. It was made even better when Kona gave up on rushing to lean against Kagami, and say, "You're going slow on purpose aren't you?"

Kagami laughed at Konata's cute annoyed face, but it was true. She was taking it slow on purpose, just wanting to stretch out the time, and enjoy the feelings Kona had created for her. Kagami reached down to grip Konata's hand, and squeezed it gently once it was in her grip. Even though Konata huffed in an annoyed manner, she squeezed back, and after a minute, she said, "It's because you loooove me, isn't it, Kagamin?"

Kagami laughed again at the way Konata drug out the word love, but responded, "Yeah, it is."

Kona looked down as she rubbed the back of her head with her right hand, and said, "I keep forgetting that one won't make you all cute and embarrassed anymore."

There was a small hint of sadness in Konata's voice as she said that, but Kagami knew Konata was happy. She was just bothered that it wasn't as easy to get Kagami all flustered anymore since they were girlfriends. The usual flirty and teasing remarks wouldn't cut it anymore. In a way, Kagami understood how Konata felt, it wasn't until recently that she had discovered how cute it was when Kona turned red, and acted all embarrassed. She loved seeing that little Otaku fidgeting as she blushed, and making cute faces.

Kona began humming some anime theme that Kagami couldn't quite place, and the two just settled into each other's feel as they walked happily in silence, all the way to Konata's house. Once they entered the dark home, Kagami was immediately grateful for the warmth provided by walls, and the dryness provided by a roof.

Both Konata, and Kagami removed their wet shoes, and socks immediately, and Konata went upstairs to fetch towels for the both of them. Kagami waited in the entryway for Kona to come back down, and the two girls began drying their hair and skin as soon as the towels were brought.

The Tsundere stopped in the middle of drying off just to watch Kona as she fought her hair with the towel, amazed at how cute she could be. Kagami's arms wrapped around Konata from behind, just below the Otaku's breasts, and Kagami gently nibbled on Konata's ear. After Kagami felt Kona relax after the attention she released Konata, and said, "You're really beautiful Kona."

The smaller girl was blushing pretty heavily, and she said quietly, "Thanks."

Kagami wasn't done though. Kona was too beautiful to possibly resist. Kagami pulled her in close again, running her hands through Konata's hair, as she leaned in to scrape her teeth against her girlfriend's neck. Konata squeezed her back, panting as Kagami felt all over the little Otaku's body. Kagami rubbed her right hand down the center of Konata's back, as her left hand caressed curve along the top of Konata's hip.

The blue haired girl didn't resist at all, she relaxed, loving that Kagami was so enraptured by her. Kona felt both of Kagami's hands squeeze her bottom, and had to repress a moan when the Tsundere went back to teasing her ears. Heat was flooding through her body, Konata was struggling to keep her eyes from rolling back, Kagami made her feel like her mind was going numb. She was going to go crazy if she wasn't released, and then suddenly it was over.

Kagami separated herself from Konata, and looked over at her girlfriend nervously for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry Konata. I couldn't help it, I know you're probably not ready for that yet."

Even as she was apologizing the bigger girl's gaze lowered down to Konata's chest, focusing on the shape of the smaller girl's nipples which were still visible through the fabric. Konata turned a slightly deeper shade of red when she realized what Kagami was looking at. The blue haired girl smiled, and said, "It's alright Kagami. I'm glad you want to touch me. I was kind of worried you didn't think I was pretty."

"No! You're beautiful Kona. I love looking at you...and...and...feeling...," Kagami trailed off after saying that.

The Tsundere's face was a shade of red equal to Konata's. Neither of them were sure how to proceed from here. Both wanted to hold each other, and feel each other all over, but neither was sure if they were completely ready for that yet. Kagami moved over, and gave Konata a hug around the neck. A normal, sweet hug, assuring her that everything was okay.

Konata said quietly as she buried her face in Kagami's neck, "What about cooking supper for you?"

"Let's just order something," came the Tsundere's reply, "I don't want to let go of you long enough for you to make dinner."

"I guess that new game dad got is out of the question then, huh?" said Kona in response.

Kagami smiled, Konata was trying to get back into her comfort zone. She was trying to treat the situation as if it were a normal sleepover, but Kagami wasn't going to let her fool herself. She was here to love Konata as much as she could, and she planned on showing it to her. Kagami let Konata take a step back from her, and the younger girl took both Konata's hands in her own. Then she said, "I want to see more Kona."

The Otaku blushed deeply, but nodded, and soon felt Kagami's hand on her cheek. Konata leaned her face against the hand, loving its feel as her cheek fit perfectly into Kagami's palm. The hand traced its way down Konata's neck, making her tremble. Kagami said quietly, "It's okay, baby."

Kagami placed both hands on Konata's shoulders, and slowly slid the dress sleeves from the neck outward, causing Konata's dress to fall in a heap around her ankles. The Tsundere took in the incredible sight of her girlfriend's body as Konata moved both of her hands over the front of her panties to hide the sight.

Kagami's eyes followed the curve of Konata's slender shoulders even as her right hand traced down the middle of Kona's chest. Kagami's traced her pointer finger between the two small breasts, and slowly circled her girlfriend's right nipple with her finger as Konata moaned quietly. Her eyes moved past the little Otaku's chest, and along to her cute little bellybutton.

Kagami smiled, as she thought, "It's an innie."

Kona's panties were white with a small pink ribbon as decoration on the top in the middle. Kagami could see through them because they had gotten wet from the dampness of the dress. That was why Konata was embarrassed, and trying to hide the sight of her most precious parts. Konata was now shaking heavily, she seemed terrified, and Kagami was now beginning to feel guilty about being caught up in her feelings like this.

Kagami wrapped her arms around Kona's waist, and said, "Kona. This is too much for you isn't it?"

The blue haired beauty trembled in Kagami's arms before placing her hands against Kagami's chest, and hiding her face there. She said, "I like it when you look at me Kagamin. It's just really sudden, and I'm so nervous I kind of feel like I'm gonna throw up."

Kagami took Konata's hand, and said, "I'm sorry for being so pushy. Let's do something to relax before we do anything else, alright?"

Konata nodded, and let Kagami lead her upstairs, she thought maybe they were going into her room to play a game, and wished she had thought to grab her dress until Kagami led her into the bathroom. Soon enough hot water was running, and it was Konata's turn to be enraptured as Kagami started to undo the button on her pink dress shirt.

Suddenly Konata realized something was wrong with this picture, and said loudly, "HEY! No fair! You got to undress me, so now it's my turn!"

Kagami smiled at the accusatory tone Konata had taken, and then immediately began blushing herself as she realized Konata was actually about to undress her. Now Kagami was feeling uneasy but soon she felt Konata's hands tighten around her own, and lead them to her sides. The steam was rising from the water filling up in the large tub next to them. Kagami glanced at the mirror to see her own frightened eyes looking back at her.

Konata hugged Kagami tightly, and said, "Are you ready Kagamin? You're not too nervous to through with it are you?"

"N-no...I'll be fine," said Kagami, although her stomach knotting up tightly told her otherwise.

They had seen each other naked before, but now it was totally different. Now they were actually interested in each other's bodies. Now they were going to hold each other, and say how beautiful the other was. The closeness was pretty scary for Kagami as she felt Konata undo the first button on the dress shirt.

Soon enough the pink dress shirt was lying on the floor, but only after Konata had struggled with the buttons on the wrists for nearly half a minute. Konata was panting heavily, and Kagami could swear the smaller girl was almost drooling. She remembered how her eyes had wanted to look at every inch of Konata's body, and wondered if she had been in a very different state. She doubted it.

Kagami leaned forwards so that Kona could pull off her undershirt to reveal the blue lacy bra she wore beneath. Kagami found herself trembling as Konata had when the small hands of the otaku traced their way along Kagami's bare skin on her hips, and up her back as she undid the three clasps on the back of the bra, revealing Kagami's breasts for her little lover to admire.

Konata kissed one sweetly, right on Kagami's left nipple as her right hand pulled the button on the top of Kagami's jeans free. The same hand slowly undid her zipper, and Kagami trembled furiously as she became all-too-aware of how close Konata's hand was to her. The blue jeans fell to the ground, and Kagami stepped out of them, leaving them both in their underwear.

Kagami's panties were pink with a black frilly lining at the top, and on the lining of the sleeves. Kona lost her courage as she examined her girlfriend's underwear, and the two of them decided to disrobe themselves from there. A moment later, and they both stared at each other, hearts pounding furiously until Kagami once again took Konata's hand, and led her into the bathtub.

The water was warm, and felt very nice, but to Konata, what felt best was her lover's arms wrapping around her from behind. Kagami trailed kisses down the side of Konata's neck, and whispered about how beautiful she was. After a few minutes of just being wrapped up in how amazing their bare bodies were to each other, Kagami asked, "Is it okay to touch, Konata?"

Konata began shaking at the thought of Kagami's hands going all over her body. It terrified, and excited her to think of what her girlfriend could do to her. Konata had a nearly irresistible burning in her nether regions, she knew she wanted Kagami touching her, feeling her, and loving her, but somehow they had skipped a really important step.

They were rushing into something like this when they were still even scared of showing off their bodies naked. They were being caught up in how they felt, and weren't thinking about what was best for them, and Konata hated to pass up a chance of giving Kagami something she desperately wanted, but it wasn't the time yet.

Konata shook her head to decline Kagami's request, and said, "I just need some time to get ready for that Kagami, okay?"

Kagami nodded, and said, "I understand Kona. I'm not even really sure I'm ready for that myself."

Even after this, the excitement of seeing each other's natural form didn't fade. Kagami was gobbling her little girlfriend up with her eyes, and in her mind. Konata was doing the same, which made the bath take longer than it needed to. Once they realized this, the two began laughing at how wrinkly they had gotten, and it was time to get out of the tub.

The two got out, and took turns scrubbing each other. Even though they had said it was too soon for touching, they both had a little guilty fun rubbing each other's backs, and shoulders, and Kagami in particular took a long time playing with, and soaping down Konata's hair.

Soon enough they took one final soak, and then toweled off, before heading to Konata's bedroom. Sure enough, the bag with Kagami's clothes that Matsuri had been supposed to bring that day, was sitting on Konata's bed, and Konata busied herself looking through the closet. Kona was about to grab some shorts when Kagami pulled her in close again. She had a mischievous smile on her face, that Konata loved despite never having seen such a look on the bigger girl before.

Kagami said, "Why get dressed? Isn't it more fun with no clothes?"

For a moment Konata was surprised she hadn't suggested the idea herself, but after a moment, she replied, "Well, we at least need them until we order some food, right?"

Konata giggled, as Kagami pouted in an annoyed manner, and then threw on some tan shorts, and her favorite panda shirt. Kagami settled into a plain white T-shirt, and the same pair of athletic shorts she had worn the last time she had stayed over. Once they were dressed, Kagami said, "Well, hurry up, and order something to eat, okay?"

Konata laughed loudly at the way Kagami had said that in such an innocent voice. She had seen right through it, and teased, "Oh? Is Kagamin in such a rush just to see my vulnerable little body again?"

Kagami turned red, and Konata saw her favorite vein poke out in the Tsundere's forehead, she just knew some defensive denial was coming, but Kagami calmed herself after a few seconds of huffing, and said, "Yes."

It was said calmly. Konata's jaw dropped, and Kagami said with a small blush on her face, "Well. I need to start being honest about how I feel towards you, right?"

Konata responded, still recovering from the shock of a direct answer, "You're a Tsundere though! I have to fight you for a real confession!"

Kagami folded her arms, and looked away, saying in an annoyed tone that clashed heavily with how loving she had been just moments before, "I said to stop calling me that. I also said, I'm going to be honest about how I feel from now on. Don't expect me to go bragging to the world that I have a girlfriend since most people are uncomfortable with that kind of stuff, but I promise I'll never lie about how you make me feel anymore."

Kona's eyes were sparkling, and Kagami opened one eye, and risked a glance back at her girlfriend as she came out of her Tsun-Tsun phase. Kona had a big smile, and said, "Oh yeah! Kagamin's so cute, I can't stand it sometimes."

Kagami didn't show how happy that comment made her to her girlfriend since she had said nothing about showing how she felt about Konata's normal behavior, and she said, "Just go order the food, okay? I'm so hungry now I'll probably end up eating _you_ if I don't get some food soon."

Konata's face turned scarlet, leaving Kagami confused until a possible meaning of what she had said dawned on her, and she joined Konata in being red. Konata would probably have teased Kagami when she recovered from her embarrassment, but a loud grumble from Kagami's direction sounded agreement with her previous statement, and Kona couldn't help but give in, and go to order some takeout for Kaeru-kun's sake.

The little Otaku headed downstairs, and the number for one of hers and her dad's favorite noodle shops. Konata ordered an extra big cup of ramen with tons of toppings like egg, ground bacon,and bell pepper,. Kagami ordered the same thing since Konata hyped it up so much, but Konata told them to deliver one more smaller cup just in case the first serving wasn't enough to fill up her Tsundere.

The wait for the delivery man was more than awkward as both girls kept looking at each other, wanting to see more than their clothes would allow. They focused on the television in order to keep their minds from wandering down dangerous paths again, and were soon absorbed in an anime movie Konata said was a classic.

A girl was built an android with human emotions, but the person who built her was killed, and she had no idea she wasn't a real girl with amnesia. The food arrived thirty minutes in, and Konata went to the door to pay the fee, and returned with their ramen. It was still hot, and the cup warmed Kona's hands as she passed it to Kagami, and then got the second one out of the bag, placing it on the table in front of the couch.

Steam rose as she pulled the lid off the top, and picked up her chopsticks begin slurping her ramen with pleasure. Konata had no idea why her ramen didn't taste as great, but she wished she could learn to make it like the pros at the ramen shop. Konata heard Kagami noisily slurping the ramen next to her, and she got distracted watching the cute way Kagami sucked the noodles off of her chopsticks, and smacked as the noodle completely entered her mouth.

The Tsundere was very interested in the movie despite having protested watching an anime every time they watched something together. Even after the food was finished, and the two could go back to what they had been doing before, and looking at each other, Kagami made no move to start undressing Konata again.

Kona wondered if Kagami was as nervous as she was. She was actually incredibly scared. If Kagami saw something about her body she didn't like, Konata didn't know how she would react. Kona moved in close to Kagami, and wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's waist, letting her know she was there. The Tsundere smiled at Konata, and then leaned in against the smaller girl's shoulder, just letting Konata hold her as they watched the movie.

By the time the movie ended Kagami had shed a few tears, and Konata was rocking her. The boy lead in the movie had managed to get through the machine part of the girl, and make her remember him right before she was destroyed. Kagami had really been hoping it would end in a more happy manner. She complained to Konata, who only said, "Shh, let's just watch the credits, sometimes these things have special scenes for people who wait through the whole thing."

Indeed there was a scene at the end, showing the boy many years later in the ruins of the city the android he had loved was destroyed in. It only lasted a moment, but he was in a repair shop, and the android girl was there with him. Kagami gasped when she saw it before the screen went black. Konata smiled knowingly, and said, "I watched the movie three times before I saw that part."

Kagami was smiling her beautiful smile, and Konata couldn't help but wonder once again how she had landed such a beauty. Kagami wrapped her arms around Konata's neck, and said, "Let's go to bed now."

Kona was confused, she had been both dreading and looking forward to whatever Kagami planned to do after the movie, but she hadn't expected the Tsundere to want to go to sleep. Still, Konata helped Kagami stand, and they held hands as they went up to Konata's bedroom once more. Kagami entered slightly behind Konata, and closed the door behind her.

The digital clock on Kona's desk said it was eight-thirty pm. Kagami thought the date had went even better than if everything had gone according to plan. She moved in behind Kona, and gripped her waist firmly. Kona gasped as Kagami kissed her neck from behind passionately. Her hands crept under Kona's shirt feeling her soft stomach, and then she tugged the shirt upwards, and off Konata's body.

Kona's small chest was absolutely beautiful as Kagami looked at it from above Konata's head. The Otaku was blushing, and said, "I can take my own clothes off, Kagamin."

Kagami relented, and released Konata to pull off her own shorts so her girlfriend could get a look at her bare body. Kagami lifted Kona up, swinging her legs up, and catching them under her left arm. Konata looked into Kagami's eyes, and whispered, "Tell me I'm beautiful again Kagamin."

The Tsundere smiled at her lover, and said, "I wish I knew a word better than beautiful. Beautiful isn't strong enough enough to show how incredible you are."

Kagami laid Konata in her bed, and the blue haired girl quickly buried herself under the warm blanket, and rested her head in the center of the pillow there. She smiled up at Kagami as the bigger girl removed her clothes, and turned the light out before joining Konata under the cover. Kagami was burning, she wanted to do all kinds of things with her little Otaku, but she held back.

Neither of them were ready to go all the way, now they were just getting comfortable holding each other's bodies, and seeing each other. Kagami decided a little touching would be alright as long as they didn't go too far, and so she placed her hand on Konata's left breast, and squeezed gently, causing the little Otaku to squirm beside her.

Kagami smiled at the cute noise Kona had made, and then found herself gasping as Kona returned the favor by feeling Kagami's chest up. They had to stop after a minute or going further would have been impossible to avoid. Both girls dreamed of the day when they were close enough to be with each other freely, and to do things unafraid, but already Kagami was trembling from the fear she had of making love to Konata.

Kagami had no experience, she didn't know if she could make Kona feel good, she wanted Konata to scream her name, or to be so out of breath she couldn't scream at all. What if Konata suddenly didn't like how Kagami looked, what if she was too fat for the smaller girl. That thought made a little knot form in Kagami's throat.

Kona asked in a breathy whisper, "Hey, why are you so tense, Kagamin? Are you nervous too?"

Kagami responded, "Yeah. I am."

Kagami laid her head next to Konata's looking at the small girl's ear, and wondering if she should have some more fun with Kona's weak spot. She decided not to, she just wanted to be close, she never wanted to think about Konata not being with her again. Kagami snuggled up against the blue haired girl, but her head kept sliding off the pillow since there wasn't enough room on it for both their heads.

Kagami couldn't help but chuckle. The most beautiful woman on Earth was lying naked in the same bed as her, and Kagami was worried that her head wouldn't fit on a pillow. The Tsundere said with a smile, "Hey, quit hogging the pillow Kona."

Konata giggled, and said, "Why are you grumping about my pillow? You have two perfectly good ones to use."

Kagami didn't understand at first, but Kona wrapped both her arms around the Tsundere's head, and guided her downwards. Konata set Kagami's head to rest on her breasts, and then slid her arms downwards to hold Kagami's back tightly, as she whispered, "I love you."

Kagami rested against her lover's warmth. She was silent as she felt the softness of Konata's breasts sink in to accommodate her, and soon she became comfortable. She even adjusted to the little tremble Kona gave every time Kagami exhaled, and her warm breath traveled from where Kagami rest her head on Kona's right breast to the uncovered left one. Kagami could hear her love's heart thundering in her chest, and Kagami's beat in tune with it. This was it, this was the closeness she had always craved. Kagami had always wanted to be loved completely, and now her dream was undoubtedly a reality.

Kagami reached her left arm up, to grip the front of Kona's right shoulder, as she moved her right arm to rest under the Otaku's shoulders. Kagami was suddenly overwhelmed with feeling. She could feel the warmth of tears stinging her eyes. She just wanted Kona to keep holding her forever, to make her safe, and give her this security.

Kagami wanted her lover to protect her from ever knowing what it's like to be completely alone. She wanted Konata to keep her safe forever. Konata saw the sudden change in the woman she loved, and began stroking her hair, comforting her. Kagami whined, "You'd better not ever leave me Konata. I couldn't take it. I wouldn't ever be able to move on, I'm not as strong as you are."

Kona smiled, and replied, "You don't ever really think I'd leave you, do you?"

Kagami gripped Konata's shoulder more tightly, and said, "Not by choice, but your sickness..."

"I'm not glass Kagamin. It'll take something really really bad for it to kill me. As long as you're with me though, I can't think of anything that would take me away from you," came Kona's response, she squeezed Kagami a little tighter, showing how strong she was, and hoping to reassure the younger girl that she would never leave.

Kona could feel Kagami's heart thumping as their bodies pressed together. It was beating rapidly, but as Konata kept stroking the Tsundere's hair it slowed. Konata held her lover close, and said, "You think I'm really that strong, huh? Still, you're always so strong, and trying to make me feel better, that I guess I almost forgot how you were always so lonely. I used to hate it every time we talked about romance you would look so lonely, and I promised I would be there for you. I know you always focus on being strong for me Kagamin, but don't ever forget that I can be strong for you too. You don't have to wait until you can't stand being alone anymore to come to me, I'll always be here for you."

Kagami quietly replied "I'm not really that strong Kona. I act all mean and scary sometimes I know, but I always feel bad afterwards, I break down so easily, but even when you're hurt, you always take care of everyone, you take care of me, and you make me happy no matter what."

Konata ruffled her lover's hair, and said, "I know you're strong Kagamin. When I was hurt and all alone you made me strong enough to keep going, if it wasn't for you, then I'd be weak. I know I seem really strong in your eyes, like a steel type, but if that's true, then to me, you're strong like a fire type."

Kagami knew the reference when she heard it, but in her mind she translated it to say, "I seem strong to you, because no matter how bad I hurt, I can always take more, and I can always pull through, but to me, you're the strong one because you always fight, and make sure that nothing ever hurts the ones you care about."

Kagami nestled her head in between her love's breasts, and listened to Konata's slowing heartbeat. She loved everything about the person she clung to for support now. Kagami could never fall for anyone else, and knew she'd never regret loving Konata with all her heart. Listening to the steady thud in Kona's chest the younger girl pulled safety and security from the strong beat, and was lulled to sleep.

Konata lay awake for a short while after Kagami went to sleep, thinking about how she finally had someone to love her. She had been so worried when she was younger and suffering that no one besides her dad would ever want to love her. Konata had been terrified as she got older especially when she stopped growing, and developing that nobody would ever want to hold her, and touch her the way Kagami seemed to love doing.

The little Otaku whispered quietly, "Mom. I finally found someone to love me, okay? That means that you gotta be looking out for dad extra carefully now. Kagamin's going to take me away, and even though I'll still see him and talk to him, I know he's going to be lonely, so help him out if you can, okay?"

With her prayer finished, Konata went soundly to sleep.

Hours later the rain intensified. It hammered against the house, and echoed off the roof. Two figures clutched each other for comfort, safety, warmth, and love. They held on to each other with all their strength as if to signify they wouldn't separate even in the world of dreams. Their ribbons hung freely on the back of Konata's computer chair drying, and their clothes lay in a jumble on the floor.

A certain cup of ramen that had been forgotten was growing completely soggy. A small whisper crept through the room as the spirit of Konata's mother pulled the blankets close around the two lovers. Kanata Izumi looked at her beautiful daughter's face, and shed a tear at the happiness she saw there. She had not been able to be a part of her daughter's life, but she had always been watching.

This little girl was strong, much stronger than her mother, she had defeated the illness that had taken young Kanata's life. Horrified, and happy both, the dedicated mother had stood over her daughter's bed, she had rested her hands on Sojiro's shoulders while he sat on the floor crying. The blue haired woman had been waiting to finally greet her daughter if she were to pass, but thankfully their reunion would have to wait for a long time yet.

Kanata looked at her old ribbon, and smiled, remembering when her husband had proposed to her, hiding the engagement ring bundled in the ribbon, and presenting it as a birthday present. It now rightfully belonged to Konata, and her mother prayed, she would one day pass it along to someone she loved.

Kanata shed more tears remembering how her daughter had been so hurt and alone, but she could never hold her, and love her and comfort her. Watching the senseless suffering of such a beautiful child had been nearly as hard as the suffering itself, and yet, out of the pain, a beautiful flower had been born.

Kanata wondered as her tears turned to tears of joy what life had in store for the two of them. She wondered if they'd live happily into a ripe old age, and pass in their sleep, it was possible something terrible would happen to pull them away from each other, but Kanata didn't think that would be the case. She would never know the look of Konata's aged face, or the way Kagami would one day look as she held her lover close.

Kanata had always stayed, hoping her presence could give Konata some little bit of comfort and happiness. Now Konata was in Kagami's hands. It would now be up to the lavender haired girl to keep her daughter strong, and safe.

Kanata took one last look at her daughter before leaving, and on her way out, she stopped in her old bedroom. Their ring glistened beautifully in the dim light of her old lamp. Once the ribbon was given away Sojiro had placed their ring on a small gold stand on their dresser. Next to it was a picture of the two of them, looking down at a baby Konata not long after she had been born. That had been the happiest day of their lives.

Kanata walked down the stairs, and through the front door, out in to the darkness of the storm. As she left her yard where she had had so many happy memories of her lover, and her daughter, there was a bright flash of light. A mother's work was finally done.

* * *

Author's Note: I finally got back to the stuff I love to write here. Writing about families and people being really close makes me incredibly happy. I can't think of anything offhand other than my own family that makes me quite as happy. I really, really hope you enjoyed this story, because all that's left now is the Epilogue.

I'd really like to see any final words or thoughts about the story, especially ones that might help me make the next one even better. Thanks a lot for reading guys, it's only because of you that this story took off and developed into something much better than I ever thought I could write, so thank you all!

I'm really, really ashamed of this, but i forgot to give credit to Mugen Kagemaru who originally gave me the idea of Pain and Love speaking out through Konata, in case people didn't catch it, the bolded writing earlier in the chapter are the voices of Pain and Love from earlier in the story.


	29. Epilogue!

DON'T ACCIDENTALLY READ THIS CHAPTER FIRST! I UPLOADED THIS AT THE SAME TIME AS CHAPTER 28!

Epilogue!

Kagami was awakened by a bright flash not far from the house, followed by a rumble of thunder. The house didn't shake despite the proximity, but Kagami wasn't interested in why, she looked at her love's cute sleeping face. Kagami stretched reflexively causing Konata to shift, and moan out, "Just forty more minutes."

The Tsundere chuckled at such cute behavior, which caused Kona to wake up, and smile brightly at her lover. Kagami hugged Konata tightly, and said, "I love you."

The blue haired girl said, "I love you too Kagamin. Forever and ever."

Kagami returned to her resting place against Konata's chest, but only for a few moments, she suddenly had an urge, one she absolutely couldn't resist. It was something she should have done when they were standing in front of their competition poster.

Kagami asked, "Hey Kona? Why won't you kiss me?"

Kona looked worried, and said, "No, Kagamin. Don't think I won't kiss you. I would love to kiss you, anytime, anywhere, it's just that...I'm pretty scared."

Kagami immediately felt bad for bringing up any topic that made Konata afraid, but this was something they had to move past, even if it hurt. Even so, Kagami felt like she knew why Konata was scared, and replied sadly, "You're still scared of me, right? Because I can hurt you so easily?"

Konata said quietly, "I'll never be scared of you Kagamin, I love you. With all my heart."

"Then what is it Kona? Why haven't we kissed? I want your lips so bad it hurts, I want to kiss you over and over again, why are you afraid?" replied Kagami putting her feelings out in the open to show Konata how dead serious she was.

Konata replied, "I was always alone Kagamin. I always wanted friends to be close to me forever, and once I had them, and I met you, you were such a great friend that you were my favorite person to ever be around. You're my absolute best friend, and we haven't even made it official three months ago. I guess I'm just scared...I'm scared after waiting so long to have my best friend, after we kiss like that, you can't be my best friend anymore. You'll be my lover."

Kagami facepalmed, was that all it was, Kagami could have kissed her girlfriend ages ago. Suddenly filled with purpose Kagami moved on top of her lover, unwrapping her arms from around her little girlfriend, Kagami grabbed both of Konata's hands, and pressed them down above her head. Kagami was going to take their first kiss, but first she said, "Konata. No matter what, I promise I'll always be your best friend. Even when we've been together for fifty years, I'll be your best friend."

Kagami moved her face in close to Konata's, their noses were touching when Konata said, "Can I have a minute to get ready?"

Kagami nodded, and Konata hugged her closely, she whispered, "Just a little bit longer."

Kagami brushed a bit of hair away from Konata's face, and tucked it behind her ear before resuming pinning her little lover. Konata was trembling a little, but so was Kagami, this was really it, she was going to give her first kiss to the woman she loved more than anything.

Konata said quietly, in a seductive tone that made Kagami's body burn all over as she whispered, "Kagamiiin."

Kagami's face slowly drew closer to Konata's, and Konata said, "Have you ever had the falling dream Kagami?"

Kagami felt her vein pulse out, this wasn't the time for random topics to be discussed, they had their whole lives for that. This was a beautiful moment between the two of them. As Kagami examined the beautiful face before her, she could tell the question was a very serious one, though. Konata, didn't wait for an answer, she said, "You're all warm and comfy in your bed, curled up, and you close your eyes in the dark, only to open them up to see white and blue everywhere."

Kagami was entranced by her lover's voice. She squeezed both of Konata's hands in her own, and started inching her face closer, and closer to Konata's.

"You know you're falling, and you can't tell which way is up, and which way is down. The wind is roaring all around you, and you can't hear anything besides it."

Kagami touched the tip of her nose to Kona's, and nuzzled her face against it, loving the contact, savoring the moment before they joined.

"You can't even breathe because the wind is pressing so hard against you. It's hard to keep your eyes open because the wind is forcing them shut. All of a sudden you feel faint, but you're laughing loudly because you're free."

Kagami could now feel Konata's lips brushing against her own as she continued speaking.

"You're going so fast, and you know you can't last, but you know...if you can hold on just a little bit longer..."

Konata stopped speaking, and Kagami asked, "What? If you can hold on, then what?"

Kona smiled, and said, "It's the most incredible feeling ever, falling towards your dreams. You know if you can just hold out a few seconds longer, even as everything starts to go black you fight to stay there because you know, at the end of the fall...waiting on you...something amazing will happen."

Kagami licked her lips to wet them, she didn't want to have her first kiss with dry lips. Their faces were so close though, that her lick wet Kona's lips as well, making both their faces heat up. Konata said quietly, "When I'm with you Kagamin. It's always like the falling dream."

Kagami's sense of purpose came back now. Her lover was hers for the taking. Kagami looked down into Kona's happy, loving eyes, while Konata looked up into the strong fierce eyes of the woman who would love her forever. Their eyes reflected off each other endlessly, creating an ocean of emeralds, and Kona quietly said, "What's going to happen now, Kagamin?"

Kagami could hold back no longer as she responded.

"Probably..."

Kagami savored the taste left on her tongue from Konata's lips.

"Something..."

Kona's little heart was beating rapidly, and she could feel Kagami's keeping pace with it. Both their lives had been building to this moment, Kona was finally free of all her suffering, and fear. She had a mother, a little sister, a father, and even a lover. She would never be alone again, she had a family.

Kagami had had her dream come true. She had found someone who loved her with all their heart. Kona would never leave her, and never hurt her. They would spend their whole lives together, and even still be in love when they were ancient and wrinkly.

Kagami pressed her lips against Konata, feeling the other girl's lips press back with just as much passion. Kagami's tongue now tasted Kona's for the first time, and nothing had ever felt more right. Nothing had ever been more beautiful.

Right before they joined in their first kiss of passion, Kagami whispered for only her love to hear.

"Amazing."

The End


End file.
